Ascent
by DiamondHeartbreaker
Summary: Following the events of TFA, Poe Dameron is sent to recruit new pilots in order to revitalize the Resistance. To his surprise, he stumbles upon an old friend who is eager to join the Resistance herself. The two work to rekindle their life-long friendship in the face of the looming First Order only to find things aren't quite the same as they used to be. [Poe x OC/Reader]
1. Prologue

Preface:

The main female character of this story is an OC that I have written in the hopes that any girl who loves Poe Dameron can project herself onto. In addition, I've also aimed to make it a good fit in the Star Wars universe with more focus on romance, as well as adventure and shenanigans. I'm not a big fan of writing 'Y/N' for a character, and found giving a character a name and some actual characterization to be way more helpful. That being said, once she starts popping up more, and if you really love Poe Dameron, just copypasta chapters, then find/replace your name over the main character's. But otherwise, I hope you enjoy! Thanks for reading.

* * *

A pair stood before an enormous glass observation window. The first was a towering, obstacle of a woman. Her deep set eyes held a solicitous look, their darkness only rivaled by the patently black uniform that adorned her figure. She stood erect with an egalitarian grace and fortitude present only in veterans of both warfare and politics. Her platinum hair sat neatly pleated in a thick braid about the back of her head, its dullness amplified by the array of colorful ribbons she wore pinned upon her chest. Her fingers toddled in a rhythmic fashion upon the table before her; a small tick of anxiety and impatience.

The woman's companion was a man curter in stature, but not by much. His dark hair laid in waves atop his head, muddled by the residual depression of the helmet that sat on the table before him. He boasted a friendlier disposition than the woman, dark olive skin radiating almost as warmly as his smile. He wore only plain navy pants, a t-shirt, and a beaten brown jacket.

The edges of the glass in front of them sparked red and green with diagnostics and analytical outputs, far to minute for either of them to care about. Behind them, however, many individuals dressed akin to the woman hurried to make note of whichever readouts they were assigned to that day, rapidly inputting keystrokes on their tablets. None of them spoke nor paid much mind to the pair on the observation deck, far too absorbed in the importance of their individual assignments.

Grey steel, sterile and withholding, encompassed the entirety of the room. The observation deck was usually reserved for strategic simulations and real training exercises, the bland décor of it forcing every individual within to be drawn to the glass forefront to the room. For now, it was a sheer black.

"I really owe you for this one, Admiral." The man said, crossing his arms. "I know the New Republic doesn't exactly have pilots to spare after the loss of Hosnian Prime."

The Admiral scowled. "The tragic destruction of that day brought a premature end to countless, precious lives- the members of the fleet stationed there being no exception. But infinitely more were saved thanks to the courageous actions of the Resistance. The way I see it, we owe you."

"We're both fighting for the same cause now, Admiral Stanton," replied Poe, gripping the admiral's shoulder.

"Indeed, we are. Indeed, we are..." The two locked, in solidarity with one another. The Admiral nodded and continued. "I digress; shall we begin?"

Poe smiled eagerly at her. "Please!"

Admiral Stanton typed several keystrokes into a slim, holographic dais in front of her, prompting a number of call signs and corresponding fighter jets to digitally populate on the glass in front of them. Each had a designated color. "There are ten pilots. Ten of the best who I have personally asked to be here today. They're an assorted group; everything from long term veterans to fresh out of the academy. Each one of them brings a unique skill set or style to the table. And each of them, rather overwhelmingly so, have assured me of their desire to fly for the Resistance."

"Fantastic," Poe uttered, his eyes bright with curiosity as he examined the list. Though the list provided no specific details on the individual pilots, Poe could generally predict the persona of each based on their nickname and craft. For example, one pilot who went by the call sign Warhead flew a heavy y-wing, a notorious bomber craft, which pointed to him being a big hitter. Another flew an e-wing, the craft originally intended to replace x-wings, but had been unable to compete with the x-wing due to it's extravagant price. That pilot went by the call sign Deluxe.

"Ready to begin?" The admiral questioned, hand lingering over the dais.

"More than ready," Poe replied, his face bright like that of a child receiving a gift.

With a flick of his wrist, the Admiral cleared the glass of the lineup, and switched on the com. "Pilots, prepare for start. Each of you should see individual instructions on your dashboard. You must complete them before the exercise time is up. Communicate as needed and don't forget that the objective can only be achieved through team wide success. Best of luck."

* * *

The two stood silent and observant as the pilots took off into the training environment that had been laid before them in the dead space above Chandrila, each on a mission to accomplish their own goal without hindering those of their allies. In that way, from the start, Poe could clearly see why this group of individuals had been presented to him. They were not only talented personal entities, but team players who knew how to observe, play strengths, and defend weaknesses.

Throughout the training, the admiral would call upon the computer to focus in on specific starfighters during significant moments of their missions, giving Poe more detailed insight on each pilot, and answering his questions as needed.

"It would be great to have an e-wing class pilot in our forces," Poe mentioned, as he watched Deluxe blast and navigate through a tight opening with ease. "We could use the tech and the pilot's skill with that type of craft. Especially since we don't have the money for it."

The Admiral chuckled. "Strength through diversity, as they say. Deluxe is an expert strategist and good in tight spots." Admiral Stanton confirmed. "Anyone else piquing your interest yet?"

Poe considered the screen for a moment, eyes catching on a pilot flying his own favorite starfighter. "What can you tell me about the pilot of that blue x-wing?"

"Ah yes, Nova. Just two years out of the academy but amazingly skilled. I thought you might take a liking to her."

"Why's that?"

"The first time I saw her fly; I could have sworn it was you in that cockpit. Just based on her sheer recklessness and seemingly overconfident attitude," the admiral replied, smirking.

Poe chuckled. "And you put someone like me into your top ten? I'm flattered, Admiral."

"Fortunately, she only seems like you on the surface. The more you watch her, the more you see out how calculated everything she does is. When it looks like she's about to do something outrageous, it means she's already analyzed the situation, found the best solution, and is enacting it as precisely and effectively as possible."

"Interesting. And she's..." Poe trailed off.

"Organic? Indeed. Human, actually."

Poe raised his eyebrows and nodded.

The showing soon drew to a close; the pilots chosen by Admiral Stanton had completed their objective proficiently and dedicatedly as promised by his appraisal of them. Now all that was left was for Poe to choose. And that was arguably the hardest part. He stared adamantly, at the list of call signs that was once again listed on the screen, while the admiral signed off on some paperwork before her. He used the dais to recall segments of the exercise and focus in on specific maneuvers.

"So," Stanton began. "What are you thinking?"

"That they were all unbelievably gifted. The Resistance would be so grateful to have any one of them. That being said…"

The admiral let out a deep sigh. "How many of them do you want?"

"How many can I have?" Poe asked with a coy smile.

"Well, I'll get you the files of any pilots you are interested in. But I would appreciate if you didn't take all of them."

"Fair enough," Poe chuckled. "Let me see Deluxe, Chance, Tens, Laces, Spiral, and Nova."

The admiral entered several more keystrokes to bring up the six files on the observation glass. Each included the pilots name and photo, their known call sign, their official New Republic ranking, and a summary of their service and other various statistics. "Take your time thinking it over."

Poe was eager to assess each file, but he quickly found his attention dominated by one. Brow furrowed, he hurried closer to the glass. He shook his head. "Damn it. I should have known. Damn it, damn it, damn it." He kicked the panel beneath the screen.

"What's wrong?" Stanton asked, made curious by his unexpected reaction.

Poe turned to her and heaved a sigh. "Oh nothing. Just my irresponsiblity finally coming to bite me in the ass."

The admiral smirked. "It's about time."


	2. Reconciliation

The desultory group of pilots had been sent to the star cruiser's commissary to await further instruction. The high functioning aptitude they had shown earlier had declined into a mess of nerves. Only several of the pilots had flown missions together before; even fewer knew one another by their actual names.

"So… wanna place bets on who made the cut?" A blonde pilot called Laces asked as he picked the crust off meal bread at their table.

The table heaved a simultaneous groan.

"I just hate sitting around waiting, you know?" The pilot Chance put in. "Like just tell us, I wanna get it over with already."

"They need time to decide. Who knows who's up there debating," rookie Warhead added.

"The kid's right," said Tens, one of the older and higher ranking officers in the group. She swept her platinum bangs off to the side. "If they're taking longer, it just means there's a lot for them to talk about. If there even is a _them._ "

"What do you mean?" Chance asked.

"There could only be one person here from the Resistance from all we know," Laces said as he swallowed a lump.

Tens nodded. "Maybe the sent one of the big guns. Maybe even General Organa herself."

"No way she has the time to come here all leisure-like to recruit pilots," exclaimed Chance. "We're not _that_ important."

"Then who do you think they sent? Pava? Wexley?" Warhead paused for a moment, eyes widening in excitement. "Poe Dameron?"

At the end of the table, call-sign Nova choked loudly on her water. She coughed for a few moments as the rest looked on in concern. Besides her, Deluxe patted her on the back.

"What I think," Tens continued. "Is that it doesn't matter who they sent. We've done all we can. Now we can only wait."

Deluxe nudged Nova under the table, but Nova dismissed her with a pointed glance, returning to her meal.

"Excuse me," a slim young man said, appearing at the other end of their table. "Pilot group I-490?"  
"Yes!" Laces said, throwing down the remainder of his bread on the table. "Give it to us, man! Tell us the results!"

The man nodded shakily, taken aback by Laces, and looked down at his clipboard. "Yes, well… The following call-signs are to return to normal posts for new assignments: Warhead, Hawk, Domino, and Patriot."

An initial silence followed the list reading, as it was clear the boy would not continue until the first four left. They stood gruffly, a few shrugging to their fellow pilots or shaking their heads. Warhead looked like he was about to cry. Once they cleared out, the attendant continued.

"The following are to report to debriefing room B1 immediately: call-sign Chance - last name Hono, call-sign Tens - last name McCarth, call-sign Spiral - last name Rann, call-sign Deluxe - last name Connors, and call-sign Laces - last name Glover."

Laces clapped his hands together and hollered, "Made it to round two, baby!"

The remainder of the pilots couldn't help but grin at one another, ecstatic to be seemingly moving on into the Resistance. Several even let out celebratory cusses.

"Excuse me." Nova spoke up once the initial celebration settled down. "Is there an assignment for me? Call sign Nova? Last name Dehaan?"

The rest of the group turned their attention to Nova, realizing she had not been included within their group.

"Oh well…" The attendant trailed off. "Yes, there is an assignment for you. But I'm not sure if you'd like it read aloud."

She glanced over to Deluxe and gave her a puzzled look, before turning back to the small man. "No, that's fine. Go ahead."

"Oh okay, well, call-sign Nova - last name Dehaan," he chuckled nervously. "It says to pack up your quarters and then report to the Admiral's office."

An odd hush fell over the group.

Nova's face turned a drained, lackluster shade. "I... I'm uh," she stuttered. "I'm supposed to what?"

"Would… would you like me to repeat your assignment?" He asked, clearly displeased to have been sent as the messenger.

For a moment Nova didn't say anything, her breath caught in her throat. "No, it's fine. Thank you." She sat wide eyed for a moment before suddenly rising to gather her things and head away from the group.

"Marina," Deluxe cooed softly, reaching out to her friend.

"It's fine, Kori. Good luck to the rest of you." She took off towards the nearest lift, cursing to herself.

Marina stepped hastily into the first elevator that opened, keeping her head down, not wanting to see any possible expressions of pity or shame on the faces of her peers. After the sleek, pewter door slid close in front of her, she released what was left of her composure.

"Shit," Marina uttered, kicking the door. "Shit, shit, shit." She dragged her hands up her face, pushing down on her thick black hair and holding it tight against her scalp. Her headed floated backwards, eyes drawn to the starkness of the ceiling. She stared up at it wistfully, uncomprehending of her situation. With the release of an exasperated breath, the lift began to move upwards. All Marina could do was wonder how she could have possibly screwed up badly enough to be kicked off their cruiser after a visit to the Admiral's office.

Back at the table, the remainder of the group sat in silence for a moment, mourning the awkwardness of the situation. The young officer twiddled his thumbs, unsure of how to continue on.

"Wow, man," Laces uttered. "That was savage."

* * *

Marina took her time packing her things, dreading her walk to the Admiral's office. The task of packing up all her trinkets and photos ought to have been sad, but her only real focus was on replaying that morning's events in her head. She was sure she had done almost everything correctly – flew impressively, communicated with her teammates, and ably completed the mission objective. But perhaps she had flown too selfishly? Or used too much firepower in comparison to the other pilots? She wasn't sure she would ever know.

For a moment, with her belongings all packed, she considered not going to the Admiral's office at all. She had half a mind to take a shuttle back down to Chandrila and find out her fate there; to put off dealing with her subsequent demotion or termination. But the more she thought about it, the less bold she felt. She had only a few friends stationed on-planet, and even fewer connections with higher up officers down there. So, begrudgingly, she decided to follow her orders.

Locking the remainder of her belongings in her room for now, Marina made her way to the Admiral's Office. The last time she had visited, it was to receive a promotion to Lieutenant. She couldn't help but cringe at the idea of getting it taken away.

When Marina arrived, she encountered the same skinny man from earlier. He sat at a small, silver desk outside of the office. It was only then she remembered he was Admiral Stanton's secretary. She had definitely interacted with him prior, but had managed to completely forget him and his name.

"Lieutenant Marina Dehaan, call-sign Nova," she announced to him. "Reporting as requested."

He looked up at her with tired eyes. "Yes, of course." He stood from behind the small desk and walked her into the Admiral's office. Inside, the secretary pointed her to the imposing black chairs in front of the Admiral's own, much larger and more tactical, desk. The Admiral however, was absent. "It will be just a few minutes," the secretary assured her, after noticing the confused look on her face.

"Sure," she nodded, taking a seat.  
He hovered awkwardly for a few moments, looking down at her. "Can I, uh, get you anything?"

Marina shook her head. "No. No, I'm all set."

His tired eyes blinked at her before turning and walking away as energetically as he did everything else: not very. As the black doors slid shut behind her, she let out a sigh and slouched into the chair. Then all Marina could do was wait. And so she did. Unfortunately, for her, every minute, seemed like an hour as she sat unknowing of her fate. Furthermore, it didn't help that the Admiral's office was so utterly sterile and bland that she could not find anything to occupy her time with. She had just resigned herself to play a mental game of tic-tac-toe on the empty strategic board across the room when the door behind her slid back open.

"Lieutenant Marina Dehaan of Starfighter Command," a distinctly non-female voice announced upon entering the room.

Marina froze, multitudes of contemplations running through her head as to why someone – _anyone_ other than Admiral Stanton was addressing her. Maybe she had stuck out her neck just a bit too far. She stood up respectfully at attention, staring straight ahead. "Yes, sir. Reporting as requested, sir."

"Let's see here, age 25, call-sign Nova…" The man continued, approaching from behind, almost sounding bored. "Marina is a pretty common name these days. In fact, I used to know a girl who always said she lucked out because it was only her middle name. And that she would never go by it." He slapped a file down on the desk before turning to face her, arms crossed. "He name was Sophie. And she was supposed to be busy studying Outer Rim biology far out of this system."

Marina's stomach turned as she met eyes with him. For the first time in a while, she hadn't calculated right. The Resistance hadn't sent a small group of pilots or even a couple higher ranking officers. They had sent the unexpected; the one person she, incorrectly, assumed she wouldn't have to worry about yet. They had sent Poe Dameron.

She attempted to clear her throat. "Poe, I…"

"So… what was your plan?" He asked, not bothering to wait for a more proper response. "Join the Resistance and hope I wouldn't notice?"

"No, I just…"

"Did you think you could avoid me even if we were flying side by side? Were you gonna hide from me?"

"I... I briefly considered a disguise," Marina mumbled wryly.

Poe furrowed his brow even more deeply at her. "Sophie, this isn't funny. What if you had gotten hurt? Or what if you," he swallowed hard. "What if you had gotten killed? I never would have known. You lied to me for _years._ Why? You used to trust me! Why didn't you just tell me the truth?"

Marina sighed and motioned towards him, getting frustrated herself. "Do I really need to say it, Poe? Why do you think I did all this and didn't tell you? I'll give you a hint – it's for the same reason you're berating me now! I didn't want you to treat me like a child."

"Then maybe you shouldn't have acted like one," he snarled.

"Excuse me?" She put her hands on her hips. "You have absolutely no right to say that to me. You haven't seen me in years. You have no idea who I am now!"

"And who's fault is that?" He asked, his brown eyes cutting into her own.

She looked away. "It doesn't matter. You have no right to be mad at me. I love flying. And I want to fly for the Resistance. I'm sorry it's not what you wanted me to do," she paused for a moment, thinking. "Actually, on second thought, I'm not sorry. Not at all. Because I'm happy and fighting for what I care about, Poe."

"Yeah, are you?" Poe asked.

"I am! And if you had any sense in that damn cocky body of yours, you'd be able to see it to. You'd be able to see past all the bullshit you think you have to do to protect me and realize that you have to let me protect myself! Why do you think I pushed you out? I don't need a keeper! I am my own keeper! I've been fine all these years on my own!"

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. And guess what else," she exclaimed. "I'm a damn good pilot! Almost as good as you. And I sure as hell belong in the Resistance. I'm smart. I'm a tactical asset. I can do whatever you ask more efficiently and more scarily accurate than any pilot you've ever known. You need me on your side. And guess what? You were a 'bad' influence on me. You helped me fall in love with flying. But that doesn't mean you get any say in how I live my life. My life is my own to risk, Poe. Even if you – and… and… are you smiling?"

"What? No," he said, barely managing to suppress the corners of his mouth from turning upward. His face was contorted in an oddly forced manner.

"Yes, you are! You're trying not to… smile." That's when it hit. A small moment of clarity within her overreaction. "You've got to be kidding me," she mumbled.

Poe couldn't contain himself anymore and burst out into a fit of laughter, doubling over with his hands pressed to his sides. His laughter was as vivacious and warm as Marina remembered. Even still, it didn't make her any less annoyed with him.

"You were just… messing with me?"

Poe shrugged at her with an unyielding grin on his face. "You've turned into quite a the little spitfire."

"You're the worst," she said, kicking him not too gently in the shin.

"Ow," he managed through his chuckles. "Oh come on, at least let me have that for all the lies you fed me. I _was_ worried about you."

"Yeah right, like you really cared what happened to your stupid kid sidekick." She said, dismissing him with an eye roll.

"Don't say that about yourself," he said, fawning sincerity. "You were at least always a smart, kid sidekick," he corrected, punching her lightly in the arm.

She couldn't help but smile at him after that. "You haven't changed one bit, Poe Dameron."

He matched her smile. "Seems like you've changed a lot."

"Is that an insult or a compliment?" She asked, genuinely curious.

"Mostly the latter," he chuckled. "But one thing hasn't changed," He suddenly moved forward, slipping his arms around her waist and lifting her off the ground in a monstrous hug. "You still feel like home."

Heat rushed to Marina's face, but she gladly reciprocated the hug. She wrapped her arms around his neck and was happy to discover that he still smelled of the leather of a cockpit. "I missed you, Poe," she admitted.  
"I missed you too, kid." He gave her a good squeeze before letting her back down. "But," he continued. "That doesn't mean you're completely off the hook."

Marina nodded and crossed her arms. "As long as you aren't gonna _actually_ start berating me."

"No, never," he was quick to reply. "Didn't you see how poorly I held up before?"

"You're just a bad actor," she teased.

He laughed heartily. "That's no secret. But I still wish you would have just told me the truth."

Her smile dropped, as she looked down at her feet. "I know. I'm sorry, Poe. I just… I've always trusted you. I just didn't want you to worry. It was just... easier without you knowing."

"It's okay." He said, tone more empathetic. "To be fair, I knew something was up based on your transmissions. You're not the greatest liar."

"That's no secret either," she agreed.

"It's okay. Besides, there are more important things we need to worry about right now."

"Such as?" She asked, curiosity piquing.

"Don't get used to me saying this – but you were right. We need you in the Resistance. And we're extending you the offer to join – under one condition."

She nodded eagerly, begging him to continue.

"The other pilots I recruited before this will be flying wherever needed in the Resistance. However, I have something a bit different in mind for you." He paused dramatically, winking at her after several moments.

She kicked him again.

"Alright, alright. You'll be flying under my direct command as a member of my team. No mission too dangerous. No questions asked. And you start _today._ "

She stared at him for a moment without expression. Then she put out her hand. "You drive a hard bargain, commander... But I'll take it. You have yourself a deal."

Poe grasped her outreached hand and shook it, smiling once again. "Welcome to Black Squadron."


	3. Adjustment

"She seems cool."

"What?" Poe asked, looking up at Finn from under his X-Wing. The pair were in the hangar of the Resistance's newest base on the tropical moon of Levi. Poe was busy making some mechanical adjustments to his ship. Finn sat beside him on a crate, handing him tools as needed, but mostly keeping him company.

"Your friend," Finn said, motioning across the hangar. "She seems like a cool person."

Poe followed Finn's gaze to a small group that had formed on the other side of the shelter consisting of both the newly recruited pilots and some Resistance veterans. In the middle stood Marina, talking and laughing with them, dressed in her orange pilot's jumpsuit from training earlier that day. She had peeled off the upper half and tied it around her waist, revealing the black mesh tank top underneath. Her dark hair was plopped on her head in a messy bun. "Oh, you mean Sophie. Yeah, she's great." Poe rolled back under the X-Wing and continued his adjustments.

"Wait," Finn furrowed his brow. "I thought her name was Marina."

Poe paused his tooling for a moment. "Her full name is Sophia Marina Dehaan. I think I'm the only one who calls her anything but Marina though. Sophie."

"Sophia Marina," Finn repeated. "Well, she's definitely adjusted quickly."

"That's what the New Republic Academy teaches you to do. If you can't adjust quickly in battle, you die," Poe offered.

"Now that's something that sounds familiar from the First Order." Finn replied dryly.

He chuckled. "It's true. But I'm just happy to see she's getting on fine here."

"She's better than fine, I'd say. She might be getting even more popular than you."

Poe couldn't help but laugh from under the ship. He pushed himself out from underneath and stood beside Finn, wiping his greasy hands on a rag from his pocket. "It's honestly kind of weird, seeing her like this," Poe admitted. "When we were kids, she used to be a lot less extroverted and more awkward. And now she's so…"

"Stunning? Gorgeous? Beautiful?" Finn asked with a grin on his face.

"Outgoing." Poe replied, expression deadpan.

"Excuse me, Commander Dameron?" An aide to the General appeared beside them, holding a holopad. "General Organa has just returned to base from her visit to the Excelsior cruiser. She wanted me to inform you that the meeting went well, and to thank you for letting her borrow your astromech droid."

Poe smiled. "You can tell the General it was no problem at all. BB-8 was pretty adamant about doing his civic duty, anyways."

"Of course, sir. Your droid here served his purpose with great…" The aide paused, looking down at the ground all around him.

"Looking for something?" Poe asked, crossing his arms.

"Well, your BB unit was just here a few seconds ago, sir. And now he's seemed to have, uh, disappeared."

Poe waved him off. "Yeah, he tends to do that, don't worry about it."

The aide nodded and continued on his way, heading out of the hangar.

"Weird," Poe said, turning back to Finn. "BB-8 is normally so excited to tell me about all his adventures whenever he goes off somewhere on his own."

"Looks like this time, he was more excited to tell someone else." Finn pointed to the middle of the building, where BB-8 was nearly tripping over his own head to make his way across the hangar.

"What is he up to?" Poe wondered aloud.

The two friends watched as BB-8 continued his adamant roll. He slid to a stop outside of the group across the hangar, emitting a rather outspoken series of bleeps and whizzes. The crowd just looked on in confusion and amusement at the droid; many smiled or knelt down to interact with him but he modestly dismissed them.

"I changed my mind," Finn said. "BB-8 is definitely the most popular. And probably the coolest too."

"I can't argue with that. But why did he…" Poe trailed off as he realized it, his previously confused expression turning to one of joy.

Within the posse around BB-8, Marina stepped forward with a smile plastered on her face. With a certain disregard for safety, she fell to her knees and threw her arms around the droid. His head spun wildly in response, emitting all kinds of excited whirs. The two began conversing, even with Marina's arms still locked tight around BB-8.

Poe couldn't help but smile.

"Exactly how long have you had BB-8?" Finn asked with a questioning glance.

"Since I went off to the New Republic Training Academy," Poe replied, eyes still glued to the pair. "He was a going away gift, of sorts."

Eventually Marina returned to her feet, but only to have BB-8 roll immediately behind her and begin to push her forward. Though it appeared she was consistently expressing that she was very capable of walking on her own, he nonetheless continued on like that. It only took a few pushes to realize where BB-8 was headed. Poe exchanged a resigned look of pity with Marina as she and the droid slowly made their way over.

Upon arrival, BB-8 sped up to Poe, whizzing just as rapidly and excitedly as before.

Poe chuckled. "I know, buddy. I know she's here; I recruited her."

BB-8 whirred at him in a low frequency.

"Well that's what happens when you go off on your own missions!" Poe replied, shrugging at the droid.

BB-8 bleeped sadly and rolled back besides Marina, cozying up to her leg.

"I can't believe you still have him," she said after patting BB-8 on his dome shaped head, voice awestruck.

"Of course I do, he's the best astromech on this side of the galaxy," he replied confidently.

"Yeah, you wouldn't believe all the things this little guy has done for the Resistance," Finn interjected, shaking his head.

"Really?" She asked, looking down at him.

BB-8 bleeped back excitedly.

"Wow, the Hero of the Resistance, huh?" She asked. "Did you get a medal too?"

BB-8 bleeped positively.

"Alright, Mr. Hero, shouldn't you be in need of a major recharge?" Poe asked, kneeling down to the droid.

BB-8 whirred, and then looked between the three hesitantly. He blipped at Poe who chuckled.

"Don't worry, she'll still be here when you're all finished."

BB-8 made a threatening, whirring noise before rolling away to presumably charge up.

"It seems like he's grown even more of a personality since I last saw him," Marina noted as he sped away.

"Personality is one word for it," Finn added with a smug look.

"You're Finn, right? I meant to introduce myself earlier, but my first couple of days here were pretty hectic," she admitted sheepishly.

Finn shook his head. "Don't worry about it. I understand how crazy it can get here."

She smiled and put out her hand. "Anyways, I'm Marina."

He happily shook it. "I know. I mean, I know of you. Because of Poe, and stuff. Not that I know know you, or anything."

Marina chuckled. "Well it's nice to formally meet you, Finn."

"Good to meet you too."

"Anyways, I'm starving. Do you guys wanna grab some food?"

"No," Finn replied suddenly. "I mean I can't. Not that I don't want to. I'm just uh, waiting on a transmission that's supposed to be coming in." He quickly checked the thick holowatch on his wrist. "Speaking of which, I've got to go! Nice meeting you!" He then took off in the direction of the base's central hub.

"Oh, okay," Marina muttered, a bit startled.

Poe moved beside her and wrested an arm on her shoulder. They watched as Finn hustled away in his brown leather jacket. "Don't be too offended. Finn… isn't exactly the smoothest when it comes to girls. He's a little new to it."

"I can tell," Marina agreed with a chuckle. "But he seems nice."

"He is," Poe confirmed. "Used to be a Stormtrooper too. Saved my life more than once."

"What?" Marina exclaimed, looking up at him with mouth agape.

"Yeah, I'll tell you all about it over dinner. It's a pretty interesting story." He smiled at her. "Especially because I'm in it."

She rolled her eyes and pushed off his arm. "No wonder BB-8's personality has gotten so out of control."

The commissary was a standard cafeteria as any. The area served as hub for the Resistance members to relax and enjoy a meal when they could; several posters around even indicated it would be hosting weekly events to increase the morale of it's ever growing ranks. The simplicity of it all was comforting. Even the food wasn't half bad.

Poe and Marina's meals had long been finished when the sun that illuminated Levi began its descent over the horizon, projecting orange tones through the commissary windows. The pair had remained at their table, seemingly unfazed by the passage of the day. Friends had come and gone, joining them at the table for whatever time they had before returning to their duties. But the discussion had slowly and accidentally turned from the recounting of different adventures into an accidental and long endeavor in catching up.

"But really, Karé and Snap? I just find it so hard to believe." Marina expressed, resting elbows on the table between them.

Poe nodded, his arms crossed. He was leaning back in his chair, smirk plastered on his face as always. "It's subtle, but it's there."

"Damn. I don't think I'll ever be able to listen to their interactions over com the same way again," she confessed. "I thought they hated each other."

He laughed heartily. "Oh no. They _definitely_ don't hate each other. Not all the time at least." He winked.

She smiled back, rolling her eyes. "Gross."

"You're the one who asked," he replied, shrugging.

Marina's eyes darted behind Poe for just a moment and her smile dropped. She let out an exasperated sigh. "Speaking of gross."

Before Poe could turn to see what had caught her eye, a pale man appeared at the end of their table, looking down at the pair. He boasted oddly parted brown hair and a palpable air of overconfidence that was cut only by a thin smile on his face.

"Commander Poe Dameron. I saw you over here and just had to come introduce myself. I'm Sergeant Rann, Mitchell Rann. Friends call me Spiral. It's an honor to be flying alongside you." He reached his hand out to Poe, who took it.

"I watched you do some impressive flying, Mitchell, happy to have you here."

"Thank you, sir." He said. "But I can't say I wasn't inspired by that stunt you pulled in Delta Sector-3 during the Battle of Ronin."

Poe sat up a bit straighter with an all too obvious smile. "That was a tight spot. But it was a team effort. Wouldn't have gotten anywhere without my squadron backing me up."

"Very true," Mitchell leaned an arm on the table, just enough to make it challenging for Marina to join the conversation in any way. "But you should give yourself more credit, sir. You were team leader, after all. And I hear you're the most daring pilot in the Resistance."

Poe shrugged. "Sure. But on a mission like that, you're nothing without a good team. That's why I pick the best to back me up - like Lieutenant Dehaan here. Have you met her?"

Mitchell hesitated for a moment before reacting to what Poe had said. He eventually turned slightly and nodded at her. Marina gave him no acknowledgement "Yes, well, good to meet you, sir. I better get back to my team."

"Sergeant," He said, with a nod. Once Mitchell was clearly out of earshot, Poe turned his attention back to Marina who was rather adamantly avoiding eye contact. "So… why was that such a strained interaction?"

"He's, well," she paused to let out a sigh. "He's my ex-boyfriend."

Poe's eyes went wide.

"Yeah, I know. Not exactly grade A material."

"No, it's not that, it's just," he paused for a moment, resting a hand on his chin. "I guess you do that sort of stuff now, huh?"

Marina blinked at him. "What do you mean? You mean date?"

Poe nodded. "Yeah. I never thought I'd see the day."

Her mouth fell agape before she swiftly kicked him under the table.

"Ow!" He exclaimed before breaking into laughter. "I didn't mean it like that. You just used to think that all boys had cooties. Except me." He bit his lip and smiled at her.

Marina felt an overwhelming heat rush to her face as she locked eyes with Poe, heart suddenly beating too hard for her liking. She found herself frozen; she was staring into his brown eyes in a way that she hadn't in a very long time.

The sound of a shattering plate across the cafeteria gave Marina the leeway she needed to look away from him. He followed the sound, turning towards the incident as the surrounding tables clapped ironically. She cleared her throat and got back on topic. "Don't worry. I still think that's true. If my ex wasn't a good enough example of why, I don't know what is."

"So," Poe began. "What happened between you and… Spinster, was it?"

She chuckled. "Oh, the stuff that always happens. I'm sure you know how it goes. We started having our differences, I found out he was cheating on me… the usual."

Poe's smile turned to a frown. "How long did you date?"

"Just two years," she said, her eyes glassy. She looked down at her hands. "So it's fine. It's old news now."

Poe opened his mouth for a moment before shutting it, looking on at Marina, despondent. Since the two had been reunited, she had been so much like she was as a child, but fully realized. She was more upbeat, and clever, and finally embracive of her personality. But Poe was beginning to realize that she, in fact, was not the same bright-eyed, goofy kid; though he had never expected her to be. But there was an apathy to her now; a layer of sadness Poe was all too familiar with. It was a sadness Poe wished he could have protected her from. But even more so, Poe wished to know how deeply it ran within her.

"I'm… I'm sorry that happened to you." He reached out and touched Marina's hand with his own. "I wouldn't have brought him here if I had known."

"Really, it's okay!" She said, flinching back and waving her hands. "I'm an adult. I'll deal with it. Besides, he's good pilot, and that's what's most important, right?"

Poe nodded tentatively, still not happy to believe her. "So, how come you never mentioned him in your messages?"

Marina shrugged. "Honestly, I think I was too embarrassed. I figured you had so much experience with that kind of thing, that whatever I told you would seem like, well, kid stuff."

"What do you mean by that?" He asked, crossing his arms.

"Oh come on, Poe. I mean you were always kind of a, well…" she trailed off.

"A what?" He asked.

"A player."

Poe laughed and dragged his hands over his face. He shook his head at her. "Oh, Sophie. That was a long time ago."

"So… you're saying you haven't broken the hearts of half the people here?" She smiled at him mischievously.

"No," he replied, arching his eyebrows. "I've been a little too busy for that."

"Fair enough," she chuckled. "But you know what I mean."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm picking up what you're putting down kid. I can understand why you wouldn't write me saying 'Dear Poe, I held hands with a boy for the first time today. It was magical.'"

"Jeez, Poe, hand holding is a little graphic. What kind of girl do you think I am?"

Poe chuckled and smiled at her brightly. "The best one I know. Even though this life is dangerous, I'm glad I have you here with me."

"I'm happy to be here," she admitted, a hint of blush on her cheeks. "When I was with the New Republic, I loved it but it always felt kind of off. But being here, I feel like, like I'm…"

"Home." Poe finished for her. "Me too, Sophie."

She smiled at him. "You know you're the only one who still calls me Sophie, right?"

He smiled back at her. "Yeah. I know."


	4. Butterflies

"Think you're ready?"

"I think I'm ready to vomit."

Poe chuckled and put and arm on Marina's shoulder. "You're going to do great, kid." The two of them stood looking upon her freshly painted X-wing. Around them, various mechanisms were being tightened and ships refueled. Other pilots were running diagnostics checks and calling to one another over the radio as they coordinated last minute details of their mission. Black Squadron, with the assistance of a few Alpha squadron members, was to extract an undercover agent who had been sent to collect any valuable information on the First Order left in the star system of Starkiller base's explosion. Since it's demise, the area had become a high traffic zone for scavengers, smugglers, and rogues looking to benefit from the recoverable debris and tech on the system's planets that experienced the fallout.

It was Marina's first real mission with the Resistance. Though she had certainly been on far more dangerous missions with the Republic, something was eating at her. Whether it was the pressure of her first mission with a new squadron, or the weight of being an actual Resistance pilot, she didn't know. Something felt off.

Her heart was beating in her stomach as she looked at her X-wing. She felt for a moment that she wouldn't be physically capable of making her feet move from the spot they were planted in. With a dry swallow, she forced herself towards the ladder, her arms trembling as she grasped the first rungs of the ladder. Marina paused and slowly turned back to look at Poe.

"I'm scared," she admitted. "I don't know why, but I've got a bad feeling about this Poe."

"Hey," he crossed over to her and grasped her shoulders. "Take a deep breath. Remember you have a whole team of people watching your back, kid. You've done this all before."

She looked on at him for a few moments, expressionless before closing her eyes. Slowly, she took a breath and a semblance of calmness returned. "Yeah, you're right. I don't know why I'm so shaken." Marina nodded and gave him a weak smile. "Alright, I'm good. Let's do this."

"Okay," Poe smiled at her. "But for good luck," he grabbed her off the ground into a tremendous hug, squeezing tightly. She let out an audible squeak of surprise

"I hate you," she choked out through oxygen deprived laughter, kicking her feet wildly. She tried to squeeze him back but didn't have much leverage.

"Come on, don't lie, Soph," he retorted, setting her back onto the ground. Poe was pleased to see her usual color return. For a moment, he didn't drop his grasp on her waist. They just stood there together, beaming at one another. Poe realized that he did not want to let her go.

"What is it?" She asked after a few moments, noticing the odd expression on his face.

Poe shook his head a bit withdrawn. "Nothing. I'm just… glad you're here."

She blinked at him for a moment, smile dropping. "You keep saying that so much, I feel like you're trying to convince yourself that you really are," she muttered, sounding outright dejected.

"Stop it," he said chuckling and letting go of her. "You're a bad liar but a good actress. It shouldn't be allowed."

Marina simply nodded. "Well… good luck, Poe. I know its actually you who hates me, and not the other way around." She faked a few sobs and made her way back towards her X-wing.

"I can tell you're feeling better because you have the energy to do this kind of stuff," he said, crossing his arms with a smug look.

"Sure, sure," she said, wiping at false tears, climbing up the ladder to the cockpit. "Tell that to me when I crash my X-wing because I'm too busy crying."

Poe grabbed a tiny pebble from the ground and tossed it at her.

"Now you're even throwing things at me!"

Poe grabbed another and tossed it at her again, mouth open in a wide smile.

"Alright, I get, I get it. I'm sorry I'm so awful."

He laughed and shook his head. "Good luck, Sophie."

She gave him a weak salute from her cockpit, smile one her face. "Good luck to you, Commander Dameron."

He nodded back at her and rather suddenly remembered he had to be getting off to his own X-wing. He couldn't help but chuckle at the playfulness she instilled in him.

Back in the cockpit, Marina switched on her flight console, double checking that all systems were running accordingly, there was nothing left to do but wait for launch confirmation. Her astromech droid beeped out the conditions of the atmosphere along with an ill conceived joke about the hyperdrive. She took a deep breath and waited for mission confirmation.

"Black Squadron," the radio crackled with Poe's voice. "Confirm launch. Black Two."

"All systems go," Snap Wexley's voice crackled with enthusiasm.

"Black Three."

"I'm ready to go, Poe." Jess Pava spoke in her usual perkiness.

He chuckled. "Alright. Black Four?"

"All systems go." Kare Kun's monotone voice seethed.

"And Black Five."

"Good to go, Black Leader." Nova confirmed, adjusting her flight helmet.

"Alright guys, let's do this. It's a quick in and out mission. Black Squadron, go for launch. Alpha squadron to follow at a 30 second gap."

Slowly, the five black x-wings levitated from the ground, engines firing on. Then, lead by Poe, they fired thrusters and launched one-by-one into the outer atmosphere. Though, prior to launch Marina's thoughts were scattered, she quickly snapped into her 'pilot mode', as she called it.

"Set coordinates, and prepare for launch into hyperspace," Poe radioed to the squadron. "Initiate hyperdrives… now."

The group took off, surrounded by a mesmerizing tunnel of blue and white space bending around them. Within mere seconds, the group was floating outside the aftermath of Starkiller bases's explosion.

Marina audibly gasped. She had seen the results of the destroyed super weapon first hand, but had been one of the few pilots on the mission who hadn't made the run to destroy it. She was finally seeing, first hand, the remnants of the most destructive weapon in history. And it wasn't pretty.

Charred chunks of the enormous planet structure still floated about, some obvious craters of devastation could be seen in nearby planets. Fragments of starships and and crafts that didn't survive the explosion still floated about aimlessly. It was graveyard of destruction.

"Black Two and Three with me to the planet surface with Alpha and the transport units. Black Three and Four stay out here and keep your eyes peeled.

"Roger-roger, Poe," Wexley mimicked over the radio.

"Just hurry up with it, will you?" Karé complained. "This place gives me the creeps."

Marina nodded in solidarity in her cabin.

"Karé, your encouraging demeanor always compels me to work my hardest." Replied Snap, dryly.

With Alpha squadron's arrival, the majority of Black Squadron began their descent to the planet. Marina and Karé remained outside of the planet's atmosphere. After ten minutes or so, Poe radioed their arrival to rendezvous point and began their out of ship recovery.

The explosion of Starkiller base had sent countless chunks of debris flying into the planet. Littered with valuable and recoverable debris, the planet quickly became a new black market hot spot. Now, thanks to the quick work of scavengers, only eerie skeletal metal structures remained. Floating further out were several chunks of of the base, burnt past all recognition or recovery. The disembodied structures gave the entire area an ominous feel. Marina shivered. The bad feeling from earlier returned.

"Karé, something is wrong. I don't like this."

The radio was silent for a moment before Karé replied. "Yeah… I've got a bad taste in my mouth."

Marina caught a quick flash of light off to her right. Edging forward slightly, she could see a Tie Fighter floating in an incorporeal manner behind one of the scavenged debris, apparently unmanned. And apparently, untouched.

"Karé, checkout the large debris off to my starboard side."

"Is that…"

"Yeah. I think so."

"There's no way scavengers would leave such a valuable ship out here like that."

"My thoughts exactly. I think it might be playing dead in the wreckage."

"When's the last time you saw a TIE-fighter travel alone?" She asked.

"Never."

For a few moments there was silence as they looked around in an utterly controlled panic.

"I'm seeing another one a few clicks out above me. There's gotta be more out here too. No sudden moves."

"Feels like we walked into a trap." Marina switched on her thermal detection radar.

"If it's a trap, then they should easily have us outnumbered, it makes no sense why they wouldn't have taken us out already." Karé replied. "Kill off the two separated from the group."

Marina thought for a moment. "Or… we have them outnumbered, or at least, they think we do. Fully functioning Tie Fighters playing dead? They'd only do that if they knew attacking would be a suicide mission."

"Or if they were waiting for reinforcements."

"Thermal detection is only picking up the two we see. Maybe a scouting party. My guess is they radioed for reinforcements when our whole party came through. What do you think?"

"I think we should be safe rather than sorry. We don't have the numbers or fire power for a battle. We've got to get everyone out of here ASAP."

"It's on you, Black Four."

"Black Leader," Karé radioed, switching to personnel coms. "We've got a problem up here. Immediate evacuation recommended. Our position is compromised. Do you have the mark?"

"What? Loading transport unit now with mark and materials. What's happening, Black Three?" Poe radioed back in less than a second, voice on edge.

"Two tie fighters playing dead, confirmed by thermal detection. More than likely they're just waiting for-"

"Reinforcements." Marina cut her off as she looked on in awe at the star cruiser that had just emerged from hyperspace.

"Shit. Black Leader we need to get out of here. You need to finish up down there. Now." Karé urged.

"You two make the jump to hyperspace immediately, we'll meet you back at base. We're almost ready for launch."

"What?" Marina exclaimed. "And leave you with barely any able fighters, let alone pilots?"

"It's a direct order from your superior. Get out of there now. We'll be right behind you." Poe's com went silent.

"Black Leader my ass, we're not leaving them out here." Karé exclaimed as the two x-wings began evasive maneuvers of the oncoming assault. TIE fighters emerged from the massive ship like a swarm of wasps emerging from their nest.

"Couldn't agree more. The two of us can definitely survive long enough to do something," Marina said, as Karé looped around her fighter to destroy the closest TIE behind them. "But we need a plan, like, yesterday."

"Aren't you supposed to be the smart one?" Karé exclaimed tensely.  
Marina was silent for a moment, swerving her X-wing backwards right between two TIEs causing them to collide and subsequently explode. "Fine. I've got one, but the odds aren't great. And if my calculations are off-"

"It doesn't matter. We're out of options."

The two of them flew into a larger chunk debris to gain a small amount of cover.  
"Alright. Listen close. We need to lead them down towards the outer atmosphere of the planet and then, well, we have to let them hit us."  
Karé groaned.

"But to do it right we have take a hit on the back axel panel. It's the only place that will spark enough fireworks to look good but still leave us with mostly functioning fighters. And then after that…"  
"More bad news?" Karé cut in as she led them in figure-eight around more wreckage.

"We have to shut off our engines completely and freefall towards the planet's surface with the most wind resistance we can manage as to not catch fire."

"And that will accomplish?"

"We'll be playing dead right back at them. TIEs will break off for a bit and regroup, deciding on their next course of action. No way they'll bring that Star Cruiser into the planet's gravity. They're looking for an easy kill. We should be able to buy Poe the time he needs, provide the group with extra cover and, stay alive."

"Well you're definitely making me think more than I usually have to, but let's give it a shot. As long as we don't burn up."

"We wont be falling that fast for that long. Hopefully. Ready?" Marina asked.

"It's on you, Black Five."

The two flew their X-Wings out of the debris field and down towards the planet below, several TIEs in hot pursuit. Marina fired upon an already damaged fighter before letting another get dangerously close, attempting to get hit as accurately as possible. She braced herself as the fighter took it's shot and her X-wing reeled backwards into the planet's gravitational pull. She quickly ran diagnostics on her ship to learn that the majority of systems were still running as needed. They certainly wouldn't be able to handle hours more in space, but would be functional enough to make it back to base.

"Hit successful. Switching off engines. Black Four, go now."

"Roger that." Karé pulled up fast, flipping her X-Wing suddenly to fire head on at the oncoming Tie Fighter. With one destroyed, she began rapidly cruising lower into the planet's atmosphere towards Nova's fighter.

She watched as a a red flash whizzed into Black Three, causing a sudden explosion. Karé suddenly went spiraling away from her, smoke and flames clouding her engines.

"Black Four, are you there? Are you alright?" Nova shouted in a desperate panic. "Black Four? Karé?"

"Yeah, yeah," Karé's voice confirmed nonchalantly. "Just playing it up. Realigning and turning off engines now."

Nova shook her head and cussed under her breath. "You've got 45 seconds of freefall before you need to switch on your thrusters. I've got 30 and counting."

"That's great but the ties are still coming after-" Karé cut herself off as the remaining fighters abruptly circled away from them and headed back towards the cruiser. "Huh."

"Karé, thrusters in 30."

"I can't believe that actually worked. Sometimes I forget how stupid the First Order can be."

"Karé, thrusters in 20. Engaging mine… now!"

"It's just so rare for a book smart strategy plan to save our asses."  
"Karé…"

"Poe's much more of a 'just wing it' guy."

"KARÉ!"

"Chill, I've got it. Engaging thrusters."

The two bounced off the lower atmosphere one after the other before switching on their engines and heading towards the main party.

"Poe, we're coming your way," Marina radioed. "Minus the First Order.

"What?" Poe came in over the static of the radio. "How did you escape?"  
"Turns out teacher's pet was a good addition to the squadron," Karé replied smugly. "Though we're a little damaged."

"I told you two to go back to base."

"You want our help or not, Black Leader?"

He sighed. "Rendezvous at these coordinates. You'll be explaining this later."

"Roger that." Marina replied, happily.

The two quickly met up with the remainder of the recon group, who were just about ready to liftoff from a desolate outpost on the planet's surface. They took position flanking each side of the party with Poe to the front, while Jess and Snap covered the back. The more vulnerable ships, now loaded with the major valuables of the mission, floated tepidly in between with Alpha.

"Ready to launch on my mark," Poe came in over the general com. "Alpha, priority is the transport units. Readings are clear for now, but if we run into trouble out there, get them back to base no matter what. Black Squadron will act as defense until Alpha gets through. We're almost done. Go for launch now."

With the First Order looming, the Resistance group took off with no hesitation and launched back into the outer atmosphere. Unfortunately, the First Order wasn't hesitating either. The swarm of TIEs, now accompanied by bombers and advanced units we're suddenly coming their way at an alarming rate.

"Alpha, if you have a clear spot, you need to take it. We won't be getting second chances. Black, on me, blue pattern. We'll keep these bullies off of Alpha till we can get clear.

"Roger that, Poe." Snap came through the radio.

Their X-wings split as practiced, dividing up Karé and Marina's damaged units into two sets of attack squadrons. They created a variable wall of fire as their fellow Resistance ships began making jumps to hyperspace, quickly, but not quickly enough. Between rolls and spins, the wall was slowly breaking up, but at least taking a number of TIEs with it. However, they couldn't maintain the defense for long.

Three more units still need a clear space to make the jump – not counting Black Squadron themselves.

"Poe this is getting messy!" Jess radioed, narrowly escaping a TIE spinning out of control

"I know, but I've got an idea. Black Four, Black Five – which of your units is more highly damaged?" Poe asked.

"Mine is." Karé confirmed.

"Then you're making the jump to hyperspace with the remaining transports. I only need four pilots for this maneuver and they need to be as dexterous as possible. Don't fight me on it this time."

"Fine. Regrouping now." Karé broke off from the squadron and fell back to the other units, preparing to take off to hyper space. Marina wondered how seething with anger she'd be back at base. Within seconds, she took off at light speed with the remaining ships.

"Alright. Transports are away. Black Five on me. Black Three on Two. Two copy and reflect. We're about to dive into the shallow end but trust me on this one."

"Have we ever not?" Snap asked rhetorically.

The group split off, Marina closely tailing Poe while Jess tailed Snap. Poe was increasing speed, and Snap was mirroring about a click away, horizontally. They were funneling through TIEs like nobody's business and rapidly approaching a large chunk of leftover planet debris. Poe showed no signs of stopping, even after taking a hit to his hull.

"I hope you really have a plan here," Marina muttered as she dodged the whirring blasts of several TIEs.

He chuckled. "Following units, start flying just slightly above. Shoot directly at that hunk in front of us. We're gonna fly through it. Leading unit take care of oncoming TIEs for now." Poe said, confidence unafflicted.

Marina wondered if, like herself, everyone else was too busy trying not to die to even comment on the insanity of his plan.

She flew up his tail, and began firing precisely ahead at what had to be the biggest hunk of debris in the field. If they got through it, they'd have a clear getaway and would probably take some TIEs down along the way. Poe was crazy but he wasn't stupid. Marina knew it could work, theoretically at least.

The debris was beginning to break apart, but not nearly fast enough to provide them with the space the X-wings would need. They would need the additional fire of the leaders to create a legitimately clear path. That was assuming there weren't any denser materials hiding deeper inside it. They were maybe thirty seconds away from collision at maximum.

"Poe, we need additional fire, now!" Marina exclaimed as she expelled the last of her special weapon charges.

"I know, I know. Snap divert as much as you can at that hunk in front of us. This is gonna be a close one but we can do it."

"Got it. We're nearly good to go through."

"Let's do this!" Poe shouted.

Marina poured any and all available auxiliary power into the canons as the debris broke into a wide split before them. She let out a sigh but the relief was momentary.

Time around her seemed to slow down as they passed through the deceased piece of Starkiller base. Then the feeling came back. Poe was slowing and falling behind her, now taking her lead.

"Poe?" she screamed.

"I know. My wings." the com sounded back, his voice forfeiting. "I'm… I'm sorry, Sophie."


	5. Recovery

" _I'm sorry, Sophie."_ Poe's words rang in her head.

She remembered the hit he had taken during the first part of their assault; it must have damaged his wings or maybe his maneuverability controls. Their escape was to be narrow enough. He would never make it through without closing her wings. He must have known, too. He had known but still gone on because they needed him. Because she needed him. Even if he was condemning himself to destruction.

"No," she muttered to herself. "No, no, no, no, no." Marina couldn't let it happen. She couldn't lose another person she loved. She couldn't lose Poe. Not like this.

She flung off her helmet and took a deep breath as she continued rocketing through the actively splitting debris. Gripping her center stick with both hands, she closed her eyes. She focused ahead, pressing her thoughts to achieve one, and one objective only. In her mind, she imagined the slit widening, contorting to create more space.

"Please," she muttered. "Please, just this once."

Then it answered. Her eyes opened. The slit was widening; pulling itself apart as she reached out to it. As she passed through it, the opening was more than wide enough. And, to her great relief, Poe made it out just behind her. With a deep breath out, she released her hold on the debris.

Not far away, Jess and Snap emerged - clear of all debris and TIEs and raring to get out of there. However, Poe was uncharacteristically quiet.

"Black Leader? Go for light speed?" Jess asked, a bit panicked.

"Y-yes," Poe stuttered. "Go now."

Space stretched around them as their four X-Wings snapped into the hyperspace tunnel, each a bit frazzled but well enough to be alive.

But Marina felt herself fading. Splotches of black began dancing in her vision. She had used more energy than she knew to do that. She had never used her power to move something so substantial before. To do something so dire. Her entire body was exhausted and shaking, but they were almost finished. She only had to make it back to base.

A lot of celebratory whooping was going on over the com system as they burst out of hyper space into their home system. A successful mission with no casualties was all too rare of a thing for the Resistance. But Marina was too panicked to take part. Her light-headedness was only increased by the landing cycle and her stuffed-up cockpit made her feel like she was suffocating.

Her astromech chirped as they touched ground on Levi, scolding her for prematurely opening the outer hatch. She took frantic breaths of the fresh air, sitting, still strapped into her seat. She was working up the energy and courage to move. With another questioning beep from her droid, she released her harness and carefully rose to her feet in the cockpit. Even though she moved slowly, standing up nearly darkened her vision completely; she knew it was just a race against time now. Marina just had to make it somewhere she could pass out at least a bit inconspicuously.

More clumsily than she had ever done, Marina threw her body over the side of the cockpit, only loosely hanging onto the rungs of the descent ladder. Her feet hit the ground harder than she intended and she had to lean into the side of her ship for a few moments to re-gather herself. Her goals were ever shrinking as she felt the darkness coming for her. She just had to get inside. Or at least get off the Launchpad.

Gathering the strength to walk away from her X-Wing, she turned only to find Poe already waiting for her. He was out of breath, chest palpitating up and down as he stood before her, still holding his black and red helmet in one hand.

She wondered how awful she looked, because his look of astonishment quickly turned to that of concern. She understood now she would be lucky to make if off the spot where she stood as her legs quivered uncontrollably. Poe dropped his helmet and rushed to her, embracing her fully as she lost the strength to stand.

"You don't look so good, kid," Poe said, his voice forcefully whimsical.

She chuckled weakly. "Always… always with the compliments. I'm, about to… uh, I'm about to faint, so…"

"I've got you," he whispered back. And then Marina's vision went dark.

* * *

" _What is it you must tell me, my apprentice?"_

" _Supreme Leader. Our reconnaissance team had an encounter with Resistance ˆ. From the command ship, I sensed it - a disturbance. Another… force wielder – oddly familiar."_

" _And your sure it wasn't' the girl who eluded you before?"_

" _No… it felt different. More raw. More… desperate."_

" _Your senses are strengthening, apprentice. You are becoming more in tune with the dark side of the Force. "_

" _Only by the hand of your training, my master. Do you believe this will be a threat?"_

 _An ominous boom of laughter. "Not a threat, my dear apprentice. But rather… an opportunity."_

* * *

Marina came back into consciousness slowly, as if the opposite of falling asleep. Her dreams deteriorated, flecks of reality – sounds, voices, lights – breaking them apart. Opening her eyes, she was greeted with the fluorescent and sterile environment she recognized as the medical bay. She was laying on a cot with a blanket loosely strewn over her. But what truly woke her up was the sudden realization that there was a needle injected in her right arm. She flinched and yelped so abruptly that it even made the two standing at the end of her bed jump in surprise.

"Seems like she's awake," a female voice uttered, humorously.

"G-general Organa," Marina stuttered upon her vision becoming clearer, trying her best to sit up in a frenzied state.

"Please, don't overexert yourself," she insisted approaching her bed side. "I'm just happy to see that you're awake and alright. Not a big fan of needles?"

Marina shook her head vehemently.

"Me neither," Organa agreed. She waved over the nearby medical droid. "You can remove her IV now. I think Lieutenant Dehaan is more than revitalized."

Poe was hovering behind the General, now accompanied by a wobbling BB-8. It worried her that he didn't look any less concerned than before.

Though the droid removed the needle as painlessly as possible, it didn't stop her stomach from churning madly as it happened. Once out, the droid neatly stuck a bandage onto her arm and handed her a glass of blue liquid.

"Your body must replenish. You are to remain on bed rest for the remainder of today's hours," it said promptly before wheeling off towards another cot.

Marina looked at the drink hesitantly before placing it on the table beside her.

"I just wanted to tell you, Lieutenant – the mission today was a great success, and it you were a great asset to that success. I'm happy to have you here with us in the Resistance and glad to see you're feeling better. Poe will catch you up on the rest of the new details, but I have to be off now," the General nodded then headed in the same direction of the droid, arms folded neatly behind her back. She paused for just a moment and turned around. "Please make sure you do eat before your next mission. Alright, Lieutenant?"

Marina's eyes flickered over to Poe for just a moment before she nodded back. "Of course, General."

Organa smiled softly before continuing on her way.

"How long was I out for?" Marina asked as Poe made his way over to her.

"Long enough," he muttered, grasping the railings of her cot. "In reality, just a few minutes. It felt a lot longer though."

"And… it was notable enough for the General to stop by?" She asked, wringing the bed blanket in her hands.

"She hangs around medical after missions to check in on everyone. Don't worry. You're not the first pilot to pass out after a mission."

Marina heaved a sigh of relief. "That's good to know."

Poe leaned down to rest his forearms on the railing. "You had me worried there for a second, kid."

She scoffed at him, astounded. " _I_ had _you_ worried?"

He nodded, swallowing harshly. "I know, and I'm sorry it got hair up there and I scared you. But that's just one of the risks we take everyday as pilots for the Resistance. We're fighting for something that doesn't always guarantee us a long life span. It's hard to realize, but we just… we just… what are you doing?"

Marina had begun flailing her weakened arms about her bed, patting its various surfaces and bumps.

"Looking for a something to smack you with," she replied, sternly. "I'm not going to accept some half-assed apology when it's so obvious you're just dying to be a martyr."

Poe couldn't help but develop a bemused smile. "Well, not actually 'dying' as of yet."

She scowled at him. "Just know that if you ever do that again, I'll kill you before you even have the chance to do it yourself."

"You do realize you're contradicting yourself all over the place, right?" He smirked at her, all too pleased with his wit.

Marina shook her head in disbelief. "And you do realize it's your fault I'm in the stupid medical bay, right? You almost died today, and you're just brushing it off like it was nothing. What if you had died? You think I'd be able to brush it off like it was nothing?"

For a moment, he simply stared at her, eyes widened. He withdrew from the railing and stood up, turning more solemn.

She took a breath and looked down at her hands. "I'm sorry, Poe. I didn't mean it like that. I just… I don't…"

He shook his head. "No. You're right. My flying has been unnecessarily reckless lately. I've just," he thought for a moment. "Lately, I've been feeling like I have to prove myself."

Marina blinked at him. "You? Prove yourself? Poe. You're the greatest pilot in the Resistance. Probably in the galaxy."

He smiled sheepishly. "Well, it doesn't feel like that all the time. Especially not today. I wasn't good enough. I made you do something dangerous and endanger yourself."

Marina rolled her eyes. "It's not dangerous. I just don't do it very often. So when I do…"

"It makes you pass out?"

"It makes me weak," she corrected him.

"And usually makes you pass out."

"Counting the one other time you've seen me do it? Yeah."

"I guess I'm just kind of a big deal to you then, huh? Seeing as I make you swoon and pass out all the time." He joked lightly, smiling down at her.

"You make things so difficult sometimes," she replied, begrudgingly letting out a smile.

"I know," he conceded. "It's twice now, you've saved me, Soph. I owe you even bigger this time."

"You don't owe me anything," Marina said throwing off the blanket from over her. She sat up slowly before sliding her legs over the edge of the cot towards Poe. "We had a deal. And as far as I'm concerned, it applies to this too."

Poe shook his head. "Your idea of a 'deal' is just my idea of being a good friend."

"And good friends don't leave each other," she replied, staring at him and crossing her arms.

"No. No they don't." He leaned down and reached out a hand, drawing her head to his. Softly, he pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Thank you for saving my life," Poe whispered before releasing her.

"You're welcome." Sophie replied, beet red. "Now can we just hurry up and get out of here so I can change out of this stupid flight suit?"

"Sure. But first," Poe turned and grabbed the odd drink off the table. "You need to drink this whole thing."

"You're not serious."

"Deadly," he smirked.

"These aren't my quarters," Marina noted as the three stood outside one of the many steel grey bunk doors inside the base.

"No," Poe agreed. "They're mine."

She looked over at him. "Is that the line you use on every girl you promise to 'walk home'?"

Poe chuckled as he moved to enter a code into the pin pad. "Not on _every_ girl."

"Good to know you diversify your pick up lines," she retorted, leaning onto an outer support bar as the doorway slid open. "So what are we doing here then?"

"I just need to grab a few things," Poe called out, disappearing into his bunk.

She looked around impatiently. "Poe, I'm pretty sure I can make it back to my quarters on my own now, so I'm just gonna-"

"No!" He shouted from within. "Just give me a minute."

Marina looked down at BB-8 and shook her head. BB-8 did what she considered to probably be the equivalent of shrugging.

Poe reemerged from the bunk in his casuals with a satchel thrown over his shoulder. "Alright, let's get you home!"

Marina pushed herself off the wall, but continued eyeing him suspiciously. "What are you up to, Dameron?"

"You wouldn't like it if I told you."

Marina frowned but begrudgingly followed him onward down the corridor. Poe's satchel clicked as they walked - the sound of metals and plastics hitting each other. After a flight of stairs and another hallway, they arrived at her cabin.

Marina cleared her throat as they slowed to a halt. "Well… Thanks for walking me," she said nodding at Poe, with her back towards the door.

"Yep." Poe replied, with an unyielding smile.

"I'm good now. You and BB-8 can head off to do whatever it is you need to."

"Sure." Poe said, nodding, still not moving from where he stood.

She pressed her lips together, and turned to type in the code to unlock her door. "Pretty sure I've got it from here."

"Mmhhm."

She sighed. "You're not going to leave, are you?"

"Nope," Poe replied with a smile, before barging into her room before even she could.

"Of course not," she mumbled to herself.

Her bunk was small, like all the others. The main room was an efficient rectangular shape. A bathroom hid behind the walls of the front right corner, minimalistic but equipped with the necessities and it's own sliding door. Against the adjacent wall was a dresser and shelving space indented into the steel. It was decorated with several of the keepsakes Marina owned, but was mostly dominated by various pieces clothing and random accessories. In the middle of the floor sat a large, sac-like cushion that took up most of the free walking space. It was draped with a blanket and a small pillow and appeared to be heavily sat in. Across from it, a screen was imbedded into the upper section of the wall, while a small data pad sat on a jutted out ledge below. Most empty wall space was preoccupied with some kind of weathered looking poster or one of many photographs.

Against the back wall was her bed, the tidiest looking thing in the room. It was fully made up and was decorated by even more pillows and blankets.

"Huh," Poe murmured, stopping to take in the new space.

"Please, come on in," she grumbled, playfully hip checking him as she walked past. She walked to the back of the room and squatted down over a stack of clothing behind her bed.

"It's… nice in here," Poe said, gliding his fingers over a faded orange poster that read 'Join the Rebellion' in big, bold letters.

She paused for a moment and looked back at him. "Thanks. People usually say my living spaces are too cluttered. But I like having stuff. It makes it feel more like…"

"Home?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I like it." He confirmed. "It's very… you."

Marina smiled at his acknowledgement. A moment went by before she changed the subject. "So, Poe. What's your plan here?"

"Just hanging out here to keep you company. You know, until you feel better."

"So you're babysitting me?" She asked, standing and turning to face him with a bundle of clothing in her arms.

"Only because I don't trust you to actually stay in bed for the rest of the day without someone making you." He flopped down into the large sac on the floor. "Huh. This is pretty comfortable."

"I know," she said crossing in front of him. "I sleep there sometimes."  
"Where are you going?" Poe asked, suddenly adept to the fact she was heading towards the door. BB-8 rolled hostilely in front of her with a whir.

She chuckled, grabbing a shirt from off the ground. "Well I need to change, but…"

Poe blinked at her, completely oblivious. "But?"

BB-8 chirped at him.

"Oh. Shit. Right." Poe stood up suddenly, making his way towards the door as well. "I'll leave for a minute so you can change."

She grabbed his wrist. "No, no, it's okay. Stay."

The two locked eyes for a moment, Poe's lips slightly parting under the touch of her hand. Marina felt her cheeks start to burn at what she had just mistakenly implied.

"I mean… I'm gonna change in the bathroom. So you can just stay in here," she said, quickly letting go of his arm and backing away. "I'm gonna go… Yeah. Okay." She turned and walked into the bathroom without another word.

Poe couldn't help but smile. It was those moments that reminded him she was not completely immune to the endearing awkwardness that had been so predominant in their younger years. However, underneath his smile, his heart was racing; provoked by another level of himself that had begun imagining the implications of what she had said almost too immediately. Part of him wanted to block that out, to remember that she was just his friend. Another part of him wanted to give in to what he had just felt – badly.

He plopped down on the cushion once again, trying to shake the feeling. BB-8 rolled up beside him, curiously bleeping as Poe opened his satchel.

"Just gonna get some of the less exciting work done, buddy."

BB-8 bleeped woefully.

"Yeah. I don't like it either."

He pulled out a data pad from his bag and begin sorting through some files. He was already bored by the time Marina emerged from the bathroom. She had changed into black leggings and a loose grey over shirt. Her mess of thick dark hair was now confined to a bun atop her head.

BB-8 bleeped out a few boops at her.

"I know, I know," she said, raising her arms. "I'm going right now."

Poe watched as she carefully slid into the bed, around the precarious stacks of pillows and blankets, and under the covers.

"How do you sleep with all that stuff on there?" He asked, setting down his data pad.

"I don't sleep with all of it on here," she replied, before throwing a pillow at Poe with a wild smirk on her face.

"Hey!" He shouted, taking the pillow to the head. He grabbed it and was about to whip it back at her.  
"Whoa, come on, I'm supposed to be resting!" She pleaded, sticking out her lower lip.

Poe sighed and lowered his arm. "Then hurry up and sleep already."

"You're gonna be bored stuck in here," she said, snuggling deeper into her cocoon of soft items, pushing extraneous ones off the side of the bed.

"No way. I've got plenty of work to do and no way I'm leaving you alone until you're rested up, kid," he replied with a confident smile.

"Fine," she said, closing her eyes. "But don't say I didn't warn you."

She was right. Marina had been asleep for barely over an hour and Poe was already wearied of the administrative work he had brought with him. His original goal was to finally complete a piece of correspondence to a small-planet government he had accidentally caused a revolution in. However, it quickly turned into a more arduous task than the mission itself had been. Even BB-8 had even gone into sleep mode himself, bored by Poe's utter lack of interesting activity.

Poe let out a sigh and set down the data pad. Standing from the sac, he took his time to slowly look about the room again. He had always found bedrooms and quarters to be interesting reflections of a persons most intimate space. Marina's certainly had plenty to look at. Most of the posters on the wall he recognized as the ones scavengers sold at lower level bazaars on republic city planets like Hosnian Prime and Chandrila. But some of them were newer, lacking the deterioration of the scavenged pieces. One boasted a minimalistic symbol of the New Republic in bright red print. Several others followed it in sequence, each sharing some kind of inspiring or emotional message about the Rebellion or the New Republic. He couldn't help but let out a small burst of laughter at the poster which followed the series which was just a blown up print of a rather cute-looking lothcat.

In-between the posters, were the photos. Most of them were weathered looking and pretty bended, for presumably not being very old. The majority of the collection featured Marina with various groups of people, who he assumed to all be friends. He recognized a Twi'lek in one as another pilot he had recruited at the same time as Marina. But the rest of them, he did not recognize. Poe had the odd, morbid wonder of a weathered combat veteran in regards to how many of them were still alive.

As he crossed to the other side of the room, past the bathroom, he felt an unexpected stiffness under one of his feet. He bent down to pick up a thick wad of paper that had been folded into a neat square. Poe opened it to find two photos stacked atop one another. The creases ran deep in the photos; even more heavily deteriorated than the others.

The top photo was of Marina – or Sophie, back then- in between her mother and father, smile wide and unadulterated. She was barely tall enough to breach their waists. Poe recognized the backdrop as their house on Yavin-4. Her father was proudly holding a bushel of woodberries while her mother appeared to be mid-laugh. He had forgotten what lovely people they really were. Things were never good for too long in their household, but they always kept their heads up through it all.

The second photo brought the largest rush of nostalgia Poe had ever felt. It was Marina, BB-8, and himself, right before he went off to the Academy. They were kneeling on the ground next to BB-8, who was so clean and new looking it almost shocked Poe. He realized how weathered the droid had become from all their adventures together. Poe was smiling and giving the camera a thumbs up, his hair longer and face less engraved with lines. He looked as full of zest as he remembered himself being, ready to take on the galaxy in an x-wing. Across from him was an older Marina. She was smiling, but there was a certain sadness to her. He remembered how he had heard her crying after he told her he was leaving. It hurt him too. Even so, she always put on a smile when they were together, even when she knew he could see through it.

Poe glanced up from the photo to look at Marina, still sleeping. He was amazed how full circle they had come after being apart for so long and how easy it was to pick back up. Though he knew it certainly wasn't quite the same.

"Nooo…" Marina suddenly mumbled, face contorting as she turned in her bed. "Stop…" she mumbled again.

Poe approached her, momentarily folding the pictures into his pocket. "Sophie," he whispered, gently nudging her.

"Please stop," she cried louder this time, still in asleep. "I'm sorry," she threw her head to the other side, arms thrashing with it.

Poe's brow furrowed. "Sophie," he said louder this time, shaking her a bit harder. "Sophie, you're dreaming."

"No," she repeated, voice desperate. Her thrashing becoming more vehement. "Stop it. I didn't… didn't mean to. Please… I'm sorry."

Poe frowned and grasped one of her arms, giving it a solid squeeze. He cupped her face with his other hand, now noticing the wetness of several tears. "Sophie," he said with more urgency, lifting her head. "Soph, wake up. You're dreaming."

Without warning, one of her hands flew up and clenched his wrist, her eyes opening immediately after. Her breathing was shallow and panicked as she gripped onto him, eyes wide with what Poe recognized as fear. They locked eyes for only a moment before Marina realized what she was doing and released him. Even so, Poe saw a flicker in her eyes that put a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"Sorry," she muttered, evading his continued gaze.

"You don't have to apologize," he said, gently letting go of his hold on her. "Nightmare?"

She nodded, propping herself up on her elbows. "Yeah. A nightmare. That's all."

"You were saying stuff in your sleep, kid. You were scared."

"It was just a bad dream," she replied, looking back up at him. "Thanks for waking me up. How long was I asleep for?"

Poe shook his head. "Not long enough."

"Is that your way of sending me back to bed?" She asked, a bit forlorn.

"You need more sleep, Soph," he said, crossing his arms. "No way you're back at a hundred percent yet."

"I know," she looked down sheepishly. "I just don't wanna have that nightmare again."

Poe looked on at her for a moment before turning and making his way back over to the cushion in the middle of the room. Grabbing a section of fabric in his hands, he began dragging the sac, blanket and all, back towards Marina.

"What are you doing?" She asked, one eyebrow arched.

"I know nightmares," Poe said, heaving the cushion against her bedside. "And the only thing that helps is having something to reassure yourself that you're safe."

"Are you a psychiatrist now, Poe?"

He scoffed and plopped down next to her in the big cushion. "Nope. As much as I should get paid hourly for having to deal with you."

She chuckled. "So, what? You're my safety blanket then?"

"Exactly. I'll be right here next to you. And if you start having a nightmare again," a goofy smile lit up his face. "I'll just fight it off for you."

She considered his offer for a moment, squinting at him, still propped up on her elbows. Then, with a sigh, Marina slid back into her blankets, and turned towards Poe in his cushion. "Fine. But you're going to be even more bored now."

"No way," Poe replied, shaking his head. "I'm never bored when I've got a mission."

She rolled her eyes at him but smiled all the same. "Fine. Thank you." She said, closing her eyes.

Poe smiled and got comfortable in his sac. Although he had been mostly joking about his 'mission', Poe didn't fear boredom at all this time. He had an odd sense of gratification and comfort in knowing he was doing something to help her. Even if it was something small. She deserved that much, at least.

There was a small brushing against his arm. Poe looked down and saw Marina's hand, reaching out over the side of the bed. He looked at her only to see her eyes were still closed and her face expressionless. Poe wondered for several moments whether it was intentional or accidental or some kind of ask, before he decided it didn't matter. He was going to do what felt right in that moment, regardless of connotations or implications. His reward was the quick flash of a smile that popped onto Marina's face as she 'slept' beside him. It made an even bigger one appear on his own.

As promised by Poe, Marina was able to relax into a much more peaceful and deep state of sleep. So deep, it accidentally took Poe along with her.


	6. Acceleration

"Hey, commander! How's it going?"

Poe looked up from his data pad as he strode across the tarmac to see the light purple Twi'lek Kori Connors trailing behind him a bit.

"Kori," he replied with a smile, continuing forward as she followed. "What's up?"

"So, uh, I was just wondering how much longer you and Black Squadron were going to busy for today?"

He stopped in front of Karé Kun's X-Wing to record some data readouts. Snap waved down to them from the cockpit. "What do you mean?" Poe asked. "We're running diagnostic tests all tonight."

Kori cleared her throat, twisting her hands in front of her. "Well, you see, commander, all the other squadron leaders decided to let their squadrons have the night off… except you."

Poe furrowed his brow. "What? This is the first time I've heard anything about it."

"Yeah, it was kind of a last minute call," she replied with a sheepish smile. "But I thought maybe I should come and let you know about it."

He blinked at her. "Well, alright, thanks. But we have a lot to do so I don't think-"

Karé cleared her throat auspiciously.

"But, Poe, we're all going to the base cantina together!" She continued. "I'm sure it would be a great morale booster for all the other pilots to have you there. And I've been told you're always the life of the party."  
Poe looked down at his data pad for a moment, considering her proposal. "I don't know…"

"Plus sir, it would be a great bonding experience for all the Resistance pilots! I mean I'm sure we could all use a night blowing off steam!"

Karé cleared her throat again.

He shook his head. "Listen, Kori, as much as I'd love to give everyone the night off, I just-"

"Oh look, it's Marina. Hey, Rina!" She shouted, before he could finish, waving her hands wildly in the air.

Marina paused her stride adjacent to them. She smiled upon seeing Kori and began walking towards them, carrying a hefty looking piece of an engine.

Poe straightened his posture.

"What are you doing here?" She asked Kori incredulously, setting down her hefty load on the ground for a moment.  
"Oh, I was just coming by to remind you about meeting up at the cantina tonight," she said, completely ignoring Poe's presence. "You're going to come, right?"

A smile spread across Marina's face before quickly fading into a frown. "Oh. I don't think I can. We're supposed to be running diagnostics till almost midnight."

"Seriously?" Kori asked dramatically, flashing a glance at Poe.

"Yeah," Marina confirmed, rubbing her arm. "I really wish I could come but I think all of Black Squadron will be stuck here tonight. I really miss you, though."

"I know, I miss you too," Kori replied, with a pout, grabbing her friend's hands. "I just wish I could hang out with _my_ best friend for a night out at the bar like we used to… before the Resistance."

"Hopefully soon," Marina replied. "You know I'd be there in a heartbeat if I could be."

There was a moment of silence before Poe heaved a sigh. "Black Squadron will be there."

"For sure?" Kori asked.

Poe looked at her and nodded. "We could use a night off as much as everyone else."

"Really?" Marina asked, smile plastered on her face.

He nodded. "Hear that Black Squadron?" He called out. "You have the night off."

In the slight distance, Snap whooped while Karé cleared her throat in a much more celebratory manner. Before anything could be said, Marina threw her arms around Poe's waist, nearly tripping over her engine part. "Thank you!"

"You're welcome," he replied with a slight chuckle, patting her head.

"I've… I've got to go get ready!" She announced with sudden realization, separating from Poe. She darted off, leaving her engine part on the ground. It only took her a moment to realize what she had done before rushing back and struggling to pick it up once more. Poe couldn't help but chuckle at her.

She flashed him a bashful smile before rushing it over to her starfighter, BB-8 following for oversight.

"See you tonight then?" Kori asked loudly, looking slightly past Poe.

"See you tonight," he confirmed, cautiously crossing his arms. "But if you're up to something…"

Kori raised her arms defensively. "Not at all, Commander Dameron. Just want a chance to hang out with some of my good friends is all." She turned on her heel and begin back the way she came. "See you and your girlfriend later."

"What?" Poe asked, not quite sure what he had heard.

She tossed up a hand as she walked away. "See you later!"

Poe shook his head and returned his attention to his data pad, holistically unfocused for the remainder of the day.

* * *

"Are you sure it's alright I'm coming with?" Finn asked as he adjusted his dark, long sleeve shirt.

"Definitely," Poe confirmed as the two walked towards the cantina. He was wearing his own black leather jacket with a plain undershirt and navy pants. "It's just some of the pilots getting together. And they probably like you more than they like me."

"Says the most revered pilot in the Resistance..." Finn replied, unassured.

"Finn, you're the only ex-Stormtrooper that's ever existed." Poe replied, stopping suddenly in front of the cantina door. He could hear it bustling with noise and music inside.

"That doesn't mean anything on _pilot's night_ ," Finn insisted, tugging at one of his sleeves.

"Buck up, buddy," Poe said, grasping his friend's shoulder. "It's not some private event; it's just a party. And my motto for parties is 'the more the merrier'."

Finn let out a sigh. "I guess I'm just nervous since I've never really… gone to a bar or anything before."

Poe smiled at him. "Well, take this from the ex-king of cantina night. After a few drinks, it will be hard _not_ to enjoy yourself."

He nodded at Poe, looking a bit more confident. "Okay. Let's do this."

As if expecting their arrival, a roar of excitement was emitted as they entered. Several already tipsy patrons stood to hug the pair, while others clapped them on their back or waved from across the bar. It seemed like the night was already in full swing. Poe quickly scanned the room, looking for those most familiar to himself. At the bar was Jess. She was busy talking up a group of enthralled pilots with seemingly rather casual retellings of their adventures. In the back, the leader of Alpha squadron was swaying in with his boyfriend rather intimately despite the fast pace of the music. Karé and Snap were sitting besides one another in a booth in the middle of the cantina and, thankfully, waving them over.

Finn and Poe slid in, across from the pair who were picking at a shared bowl of airpop.

"You guys enjoying your night off?" Poe asked, leaning his arms in on the table.

"Temmin 'Snap' Wexley here is three lagers deep already." Karé replied, expressionless.

"Four lagers." Snap corrected, setting down an empty glass.

"Four lagers." Karé acknowledged rather expediently. "So I'd say yes."

"So, this lager," Finn began. "Is it good? Would you recommend it?"

Snap stared at him, eyes wide. "What do you mean, 'is it good'? Have you never had a beer before?"

Finn looked at Poe before shaking his head hesitantly. "The First Order never exactly encouraged us to drink." He chuckled nervously.

"Shit. I forgot. Sorry, man." He replied a bit sheepishly.

Finn shook his head. "It's fine! I'm just not used to this whole scene yet."

Snap nodded at him in solidarity before suddenly rising to his feet rather sloppily. "Ladies and gentlemen of the table, I am going to buy this young man his first drink!" He grabbed Finn's arm and began dragging him towards the bar only slightly against his will.

"What about our drinks?" Poe called out, motioning between Karé and himself.

"I'll let Finn pick!" Wexley replied, turning back to flash a thumbs up with his free hand.

"This is going to be a disaster," Poe muttered amusedly.

Karé shook her head. "Sometimes I wonder how I can trust that man with my life, but not with my drink selection."

"Trust is the most important part of a relationship, Karé." Poe replied, a-matter-of-factly. "If you're already having doubts, the two of you might want to start thinking about couple's counseling."

Karé sniggered and turned to look at Poe with an eyebrow raised. "The last person in the galaxy that I want dating advice from is _you,_ Poe Dameron."

Poe looked on at her, chuckling. "Come on, what that supposed to mean?"

"Really? When I first got to know you, you came off as a rather merciless, sex-crazed, heart breaker."

"Geez, Karé. I know you don't sugarcoat but I was never _that_ bad." Poe replied, crossing his arms.

She shrugged. "It's just how it came off to me. Obviously, I don't see you that way anymore."

"Good to know."

"Actually, it's refreshing to see you really in love, Poe. Gives you an added edge of humanity." She added, toying with one of Snap's empty glasses. "Despite the fact that it turns you into a completely spineless pushover."

"And to think I almost made it a few seconds without you insulting me," he replied, leaning back into the booth. "What do you mean by seeing me 'really in love' though?"

She looked at him, deadpan. "Don't try and play this with me. You know what I'm talking about."

"No. No, I don't," he insisted.

She let out an exasperated sigh. "Marina."

Poe's mouth fell agape for just a second. Quickly he checked around them, looking to the bar where Snap and Finn were still waiting for their drinks and the tables around them full of fairly drunk patrons. He cleared his throat and leaned in towards Karé. "I'm not in love with her, Karé," he replied, gathering his senses. "She's just… a really good friend."

"No, Poe. _We're_ really good friends. You and Finn are really good friends. You and Marina are… something else entirely."

"No," he said, shaking his head. "No, it's… it's not like that."

"Uh huh. Then what about earlier when Kori was trying to convince you to give us the night off?

"What about it?"

"You only gave the go ahead after she brought Marina into it. You couldn't stand her being disappointed."

He shook his head more vehemently. "That's not- she's not- I didn't give everyone the night off just for her- I…"

"Let's add stammering mess to the list with 'spineless pushover." Karé said, smirking.

Poe took a deep breath, working for a moment to collect his thoughts before continuing. "It's not that simple, Karé. She's my oldest friend. She looks to me for safety and advice and comfort and all these things…" he trailed off. "In a way, we're all each other have left. And I don't wanna lose that."

Karé shook her head. "I get where you're coming from, Poe. But take this from me - someone who spent too long denying their feelings for someone: life is crazy and unpredictable for us. We never know if we'll make it back from a mission or even if we'll live to see tomorrow. Living life like we do - you don't want to have regrets. You don't want to be near death in the cockpit of your x-wing wishing you had told her. Because I guarantee that's all that will be on your mind."

"I know," he muttered to himself, recalling their last mission "I just need to figure some stuff out."

"Well, you better figure it out quick." Karé replied, readjusting her posture.

"Hey guys! Sorry I'm late."

Poe looked up to find Marina standing at the end of their table. Her hair was hoisted up into a sleek ponytail that complimented the tightness of her dark top. She had a wallet in her hands and was wearing a short black skirt that made Poe wonder if he had ever seen in her in anything but loose fitting pants before. "How long have you been here?" He questioned, almost sternly.

"Uh, only a minute or two," she replied, a bit taken aback. "Kori slowed me down a lot. She was making me take shots with her up until we were right outside the door."

"She made you pre-game a friendly get together?" Karé asked, raising an eyebrow.

Marina nodded. "Yep. She needed the liquid courage."

"For what?" Poe asked, managing to look away from her skirt.

"To ask Jess out. I was supposed to be her wing-woman, but I'm pretty sure the alcohol is doing my job for me." She motioned back towards the front of the bar. Kori had found her way onto a seat next to Jess and was already conversing with her rather physically. The group of pilots that had previously been engaged with Jess were now just looking on, dejected.

"Good for her. I know one or two people who could also use some liquid courage." Karé said, looking directly at Poe.

"So," Poe began, clearing his throat. "Are you already drunk then?"

She shook her head. "No, I'm fine. I can handle my liquor. Right now I'm just feeling more talkative and flirtier than usual."

Poe chuckled. "You're a bit blunter than usual too."

"Yeah," she nodded, locking eyes with him for a few moments. "That's something that's also happening right now."

Poe could feel his own face start to warm despite his apparent lack of alcohol consumption.

"Marina! You made it! But we didn't get you a drink!" Snap roared suddenly, setting a tray full of glasses down on the other side of the table as he returned with Finn. Finn, who was smiling much more robustly than when he was first dragged over to the bar, held several small drinks in his hands as well.

"No worries! I'm okay right now, Snap."

"Are you sure?" Finn asked, blinking at her. "I can order you a drink. It might even be a good one."

She chuckled and waved them off. "Really I'm fine. I'll get a drink in a bit. You guys go ahead and sit down."

"What about you?" Snap asked.

"You can sit here if you want," Poe said, motioning to himself.

"Yeah, sit on Poe's lap!" Finn announced a bit too loudly.

"What? No. I meant you could have my seat. Not sit on my lap. I mean you could sit on my lap, I'm not saying you couldn't but I figured… you know, that you'd want a real seat." Poe was suddenly wondering if he had consumed a drink and just forgotten about it.

She shook her head, cheeks blossoming pink. "Don't worry about it. I'll go make my rounds and I'll see you guys in a bit. Thank you though, Poe." Her smile lingered on him for a moment, before she turned to delve deeper into the room.

"Aren't you supposed to be the smooth one?" Snap asked with a smile, once she was out of earshot. He slid into the booth next to Karé.

Poe let out a sigh and took a big gulp of his drink. "I don't know what's wrong with me right now."

"Yeah. I've never seen you so disgustingly awkward before. Must be love." Snap replied with a smile.

"Told you," Karé added.

"Come on guys, knock it off."

Finn suddenly hurried to swallow the large swig of ale he had just taken. "Are we finally talking about whatever's going on between Poe and Marina?" He asked, all too excitedly. "Even Rey wants an update."  
Poe rolled his eyes and took another swig of his drink. "I'm getting the General to demote all of you."

* * *

An hour or so later, you would be hard pressed to find a sober individual in the cantina. For one of his first experiences with alcohol, Finn was still going strong. He had moved onto playing drinking games with a group of new friends he had made from alpha squadron. Karé and Snap had retired to the back of the bar in their own booth, talking intimately to one another, dancing on the line of too much PDA. In addition, Kori and Jess had even evolved into a rather official couple.

Poe, meanwhile, had been bouncing around to different groups, but only half participating in conversations. The other half of his energy, whether consciously or not, was spent on Marina. Even in the most interesting of conversations, he found him drawn to her presence in the room; drawn to her smile and her laugh and by the pure curiosity of whether she was thinking about him as much as he was thinking about her. And the more he drank, the more Karé's words sunk into him.

Poe was talking to Jess and Kori when Marina finally caught him in the act, their eyes meeting as she was mid conversation with an older pilot across the room. She smiled back at him precariously and before he knew what he was doing, he was motioning for her to come over. He hadn't planned anything past that and he could certainly feel the alcohol.

"Hello friends," she said, entering into their little circle, with a sigh of relief.

"Where have you been?" Kori asked, side squeezing the shorter girl.

"Most recently? Getting lectured on how we 'young pilots of today' will never understand the true horrors of the Empire."

"Oof," Jess groaned with a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry."

"Yeah. So thanks for the save," she said nudging Poe.

"Anything for you, kid," he replied, smiling down at her. For as astoundingly awkward he had been feeling at the beginning of the night, having her at his side put him greatly to ease. He wondered how much overthinking he must have done to forget how natural things always were between them.

"So, are you two officially doing the deed now?" Marina asked, motioning to Jess and Kori. "Or do I still have to keep my mouth shut?"

"No, no more keeping our secrets," Jess replied, grabbing Kori's hand, lightly stroking it.

Kori looked back at her warmly.

"Besides, I think it's pretty obvious now," Poe added with a smug look, crossing his arms.

Kori cleared her throat with a smile. "Speaking of obvious, how is it that you two are so… so, um…" She trailed off, midsentence, looking past Marina and Poe. Her expression quickly switched from a bemused happiness to that of an intrepid disdain.

"What is it?" Marina asked, turning to follow Kori's look. Poe and Jess copied.

Walking into the bar, followed by his own small posse, was the pilot Mitchell Rann. Poe remembered him better as Marina's ex-boyfriend. The sudden drainage of color from her face confirmed it.  
"Marina, what do you want to do?" Kori asked, her cadence suddenly much more pragmatic, if not with a sense of urgency. "We'll do whatever you're most comfortable with."

Marina's face lacked any distinct emotional reaction as she looked back at Kori. There was no evidence of her usual bubbly personality, minus the faint smile lines on her cheeks. Poe watched, alarmed, as her chest suddenly began rising and falling faster and faster.

"I can't deal with this right now. I'm too drunk," she muttered shaking her head.

"Rina," Kori cooed. "We can go somewhere else.

"No. You guys stay and have fun. I'm just… gonna go."

The quickest Poe had ever seen anyone do, Marina dropped her glass on the bar ledge, threw down some currency, and left out of the back door.

He made to go after her but Kori grabbed his arm.

She sighed. "Let her go. She needs a minute."

Poe furrowed his brow Kori. "I'm not just gonna let her leave upset and alone," he huffed.

"That's not what I'm saying," Kori replied, releasing him. "Just give her a moment to collect herself. If you go after her right now, you'll just make it worse."

Poe looked at her, unconvinced. "Are you sure?"

"This isn't my first time dealing with this situation and I'm sure it won't be my last. She needs a bit to calm down before she'll let you help her."

Poe took a hard swallow and nodded.

The group went utterly silent as the man himself passed their group on his way deeper into the bar. Poe was almost amazed at the amount of contempt he felt for a person he barely knew. But he knew enough, or so he thought.

"So he's Marina's ex, right? I'm guessing they ended on bad terms." Jess asked.

Both Poe and Kori nodded.

"He cheated on her." Poe said, watching as the drunken Mitchell Rann tried to aggressively strike up a conversation with a pilot and her female flight technician.

"Is that… all she told you?" Kori asked him, eyes wide.

Poe nodded. "Yeah, that was the gist of it. But she didn't seem eager to have a big discussion on the topic."

Kori let out an exhausted sigh. "I don't know if I should tell you this but cheating wasn't even his worst transgression. He's not a good man, Poe. Not at all. What he did to Marina is unforgiveable and he certainly doesn't deserve to be where he is today. He's a scumbag."

Poe swallowed hard, finding that his hands had become quite clammy. "What did he do to her?"

She shook her head. "It's… it's not my place to say. But it was bad, Poe. I'm sure she'll tell you, when she's ready."

Poe nodded, attempting to gather some semblance of calmness. He could feel the alcohol igniting emotions as he processed the new information. There was anger and confusion and sadness and Poe completely lacked the patience to deal with them in that moment. "If I don't go after her now, I don't think I'll be able to stay in here without starting a fight."

Kori looked to Jess for a moment before nodding at him with a faint smile. "Fine. Good luck, Poe."

He started suddenly towards the back door, almost too easily gliding off the balls of his feet. The alcohol was helping to accelerate him, if not at the price of some of his coordination. He came to a halt in front of the back doors, allowing them a moment to slide open instead of barbarically pushing through. After what Kori had said, he didn't want to alarm Marina even more.

Poe had forgotten how quickly temperatures dropped during the winter season on Levi. Dressed as thoroughly as he was, a shiver still ran down his spine as the cold cut through him. But it wasn't long until his usual excess body heat went into action.

The back of the cantina was filled with tables and seating for the warmer nights, an unlit fire pit sitting in the middle. Towards the back was a makeshift swing-set that had been rigged together by a few drunk engineers. It was surprisingly stable for the state of mind they built it in, using some obtuse cable parts and panels. On one of them he saw Marina, facing away from the bar and swaying back and forth in the darkness.

Slowly, he headed in her direction, steps scrunching the unkempt grass under his feet. Behind her he slid off his jacket, and plopped it around her shoulders. She looked up at him, eyes wide and blood shot.

"It's cold out here." He told her, before taking a seat in the swing next to her.

She looked at him for a moment before nodding. "Yeah. Maybe a bit."

Poe tilted his head back. "The sky looks good, as usual. A lot of stars out tonight."

Marina followed suit, pulling the jacket closer around her shoulders as she stared up at the same vastness. "No wonder we live to be out there. It's impossible not to fall in love with something so beautiful."

"I know," he replied. Poe looked over at Marina. Her faced was streaked with the remnants of several tears, each trail sparkling along her cheek in it's own ironic radiance. Even the night sky only left a shallow glimmer in her eye.

Marina looked down, twiddling her feet on the ground to push herself backwards. "You shouldn't be out here in the cold."

"Neither should you."

"I don't- I can't be in there right now," she muttered.

Poe frowned. Seeing her so deeply sad killed him. It left him wishing he could take on all the pain for her. "You can talk to me about it," he told her, tentatively. "If you want."

She nodded, silent for a moment, just running her finger tips over the leather of his jacket. "I want to," she admitted. "I've wanted to tell you about it for a while. But talking about it always just makes me so upset. It makes me a burden."

Without hesitation, Poe placed a hand onto Marina's leg, the heat of his hand conflicting with the chilled goose bumps on her skin. "Soph. You're my closest friend. You can talk to me about anything. You're never a burden to me."

She looked at him for a moment. Her hand very nearly grazed his before she suddenly withdrew and leaned back. She closed her eyes. "Why are you like that?" She whispered.

Poe squinted at her, confused. "Like what?"

Marina stood up slowly, letting his hand fall off of her leg and taking a few paces forward. She let out a whimper and dragged her hands over her face. "You're just so… Poe Dameron."

He stood from his swing, lightly chuckling. "Okay… then why does that sound like a bad thing?"

She shivered and pulled his jacket closer. "No, it's not, Poe. I didn't mean it like that. I just mean that it makes things hard for me… sometimes."

"What are you talking about?" He asked, crossing his arms.

She turned to face him. "You. You're just so…" Marina shook her head. "The fact that I'm even going to tell you any of this is imprudent. I'm definitely not sober."

"Sober enough to use your big words though," he joked, trying to lighten her mood. "Just tell me what you're talking about."

She sighed and looked up at him, fervent under his jacket. "The reason I didn't tell you about Mitchell or any of the other guys I've dated… it's because they weren't good enough. Not in comparison to you. Mitchell was awful and I couldn't muster the courage to tell you that. I feel like the way you treated me when we were younger set my standards for how guys should treat me. I had all these little thoughts and hopes that I'd find a boy as funny as you or as caring as you or as polite. And I kept doing that with every guy I dated. Comparing them to you, seeing how they matched up. Just hopeful imitation after imitation. And it took me all these years to finally realize, that I didn't want someone like you, Poe. I just wanted you."

His arms fell to his sides. "Sophie," Poe muttered. He felt his insides heating with a fluttering panic, his heartbeat suddenly a visceral pounding. He was at a momentary loss for words.

She looked down. "I'm sorry. I know it's stupid that I never got over some silly crush I had on you as a kid but I can't help it. It makes me so mad sometimes. I try so hard to suppress it, but it's just difficult now that I'm always around you. You're the only person in this galaxy who know I can really trust. Who I _have_ trusted all my life. You just make me feel so secure. And I know it's not fair for me to put this all on you. But maybe it just explains why I act strangely around you sometimes. I'm trying to get over it. I've just got to stop comparing every guy to you. None of them are ever going to be _you_."

There was a silence between them for a few moments, just the light murmurings of the bar filling the air. Poe looked on at her, startled. How could he not have seen it?

"Then… maybe you'll just have to settle for the real thing."

She looked up at him, doe eyed. "What?"

"Listen," he began, motioning with his hands. "I'm a little drunk too, Soph. And this definitely wasn't what I thought was going to happen when I came out here. But how often do things actually go according to plan for us?"

She chuckled and shrugged her shoulders. "Never."

Poe beamed down at her. "Exactly. I never expected to have my kid best friend to also become a pilot. I never expected both of us to end up fighting for the Resistance. And I never expected that I would have the feelings I do for you."

The corners of her mouth were twitching upwards, a spark of brightness back in her eyes hazel eyes. "Why? Because I used to be so annoying and ugly?"

Poe rolled his eyes. "Oh shut up," he laughed, pulling her closer to him, his arms wrapping around her waist. "Don't ruin this with your dorkiness."

Almost suddenly, Poe's jacket slid off of Marina's shoulders. The pair just looked at each other, caught, for the moment, in solidarity with one another. Carefully, Poe brought a hand up to her face, gently resting his thumb and forefinger under her chin. Her lips parted slightly under his touch.

"Poe… is this really happening?" She asked him, breathlessly, pressing her cold finger tips to his hand.

He smiled bashfully at her and murmured "God, I hope so," before leaning down and pressing his lips to hers.


	7. Bound

Poe had kissed a good many girls in his life time. He had a few that stuck with him – from past girlfriends or lovers. But more often then not, they were meaningless or sexually driven. Forgettable moments. He was used to solely deriving physical pleasure from the action, rather than anything deeper. And yet, here he was, kissing a girl he had known for nearly twenty years, almost ready to burst into tears from sheer joy.

It was so astoundingly different. Everything from her hesitancy at first to kiss him back to the feeling of her arms around his neck and her hand in his hair. The way she fit in his arms and the scent of vanilla that wafted off her skin. The mutual taste of liquor on their lips. He felt boundless in that moment with her. Relieved and happy and free.

"I really hate to break this up, but you two need to see this."

Then they both hesitated. Slowly, and rather unwantedly, breaking apart. They looked at one another for just a moment before turning towards their interruption. By the cantina door stood Karé and Snap, the latter of whom looked alarmingly sober and solemn compared to earlier.

"Never a dull moment," Poe mumbled, hands still resting on Marina's waist.

"Certainly not," she agreed, almost breathlessly.

"We better go check it out," Poe conceded with a sigh, shaking his head.

She nodded at him, her lips still parted as he dropped his hands from her waist. He ran his thumb over them before forcing himself to turn back towards the cantina. However, Marina's hesitation was still palpable. She stood still, looking just past Poe.

He reached out his hand to her. "Together?" He asked.

Marina flittered for a moment, looking around her before bending to pick up his jacket from the ground. She looked back to him and nodded again, taking his hand into her own. "Only because it seems important."

"Of course," Poe said, intertwining her fingers with his.

Together, they made their way over to Karé and Snap who quickly turned and lead them back into the bar.

"So what's going on?" Poe asked, alarmed by the sudden subdued nature of the other cantina patrons. They were grouped around the large holoscreen in the middle room, mumbling things to one another as they looked up at the stark brightness of it.

"Nothing good," Karé admitted, pushing their way through the crowd that had amassed for a better view of the screen. Coming out at the front, they found Finn staring up at the screen as well, mouth agape. "This just came on, overriding all other channels."

"Repeat, it is the duty of the First Order to rid the galaxy of all disorder and instability. We will not tolerate traitors, defectors, or rebels," came an automated voice. "Therefore, we are offering the following: for the confirmed kill of any single offender - a bounty of fifty thousand credits. For the capture of any single offender in the name of the First Order, a bounty of one hundred thousand credits."

Itemized neatly on the screen was a list, each name followed by a corresponding photograph. It read as such:

Princess Leia Organa

Colonel Fry Kaplan

Admiral Gial Ackbar

Defector FN – 2187

Commander Poe Dameron

Captain Temmin Wexley

Poe swallowed hard. He could feel the eyes in the room on him, waiting for his reaction; waiting for his directions on what to do. He was reminded suddenly of why he never wanted to be part of high command.

In his true nature, he couldn't help but chuckle. "Well, one thing's for sure, the General certainly won't be happy to see that she's listed as 'Princess' on the First Order's most wanted list."

* * *

"I don't like how calm you are about all of this," Marina admitted to Poe, as they stood outside her quarters later that night. She was resting against her doorway as Poe stood before her, leaning a hand into the doorway above her. He was toying with the zipper on his leather jacket which was once again draped over Marina.

"Everything's gonna be fine, kid. It doesn't really change much. I figured they'd come after me for stealing and wrecking a perfectly good TIE eventually." He smiled at her from ear to ear.

Marina rolled her eyes begrudgingly. "Poe, I'm just saying - one hundred thousand credits for you, for the General, for Finn… all dead or alive. The First Order might still be reeling from the destruction of Starkiller but they've got funds to play with. And any sane bounty hunter won't hesitate for a prize like this one."

"Good thing we all live on a secret base then, huh?" Poe quipped at her.

She shook her head and looked down. "Poe, I'm serious…"

He sighed, staring at the wall above her head. "I'm sorry, Soph. I just don't want you to worry about it too much."

"I'm going to worry whether you want me to or not," she retorted, crossing her arms.

He couldn't help but chuckle at her. "Always so stubborn."

She looked back up at him. "I have to be when it comes to you."

"I must be such a burden."

She nodded adamantly. "You have no idea."

Poe smiled down at her. He lifted one hand to graze her cheek, pushing a strand of hair back behind her ear. Her skin was like cold marble under his touch. "It's been… one hell of a night, huh?"

"Yeah, it's been something," she murmured, her doe eyed look returning as she stared up at him.

"So, if you don't mind me asking," he began, clearing his throat. "Do you still mean everything you said earlier now that the alcohol's worn off?"

Her cheeks flashed bright red as she darted her eyes away from his. "I, uh… yeah. Yes."

"Sorry, I didn't catch that," Poe whispered with an all too knowing grin. "Could you tell me again?"

Her eyes flickered back to his, her hazel stare cutting his own. "I hate you, Poe Dameron," she muttered, rather obviously fighting back a smile.

"No, you don't," he muttered.

"Yes, I do-."

He cut her off, making their lips meet once again and drinking in the cold from hers. His heart beat faster as she pulled him against her in the doorway, biting his lip as their bodies pressed against each other in the night air. His hands found their way around the curves of her body so easily.

He wasn't sure how long they stood their kissing for. All he knew was that he didn't want to stop. Even when he was losing his breath. Even when the cold was biting at his finger tips. It felt so important to be there with her in that moment. To not let go. He wondered if it would be this way every time he kissed her.

Then he felt her tremble in his arms, and realized it was time to let go – slowly breaking apart from her. The look on her face told him she only wanted to stop as much as he did. "You're shivering."

"I don't care," she muttered back.

"You really like me that much, huh?" Poe teased.

"Yeah. I do," she replied, staring him straight in the eyes.

For a moment, Poe felt heat rising to his own cheeks. He quickly pulled her into a tight hug, resting his head atop her own, breathing in her scent. "You've got no idea what this means to me, Sophie."

"You promise this isn't just some alcohol induced fever dream, right?" She asked, slipping her arms around him.

"Promise." Poe kissed the top of her head before they parted once more. "Now get inside, where it's warm." He playfully pushed her towards the door.

"I'm going, I'm going!" Marina turned to the code pad, punching in the password for her door which slid open in a matter of seconds. She turned back towards him. "Goodnight, Poe Dameron."

"Goodnight, Sophie Dehaan."

"Oh!" She exclaimed, rolling the jacket off of her shoulders. "Do you want this?"

He waved her off. "Keep it. I'm sure I'll have plenty of chances to get it back."

Hugging the black leather in her arms, she dashed out of her quarters to plant a peck on his cheek before turning right back around. "See you bright and early, Commander." Then she disappeared into her quarters.

"See you," he mumbled, more to himself than anyone else, smile twitching on his lips. Poe took the trek back to his own quarters slower than usual, basking in the joy that was permeating his body. Taking pleasure in every little moment along the way; his thoughts dominated by her. Dominated by the replaying of every moment that had transpired. That night, despite an awe-inspiring bounty on his head, Poe Dameron slept better than he had in years.


End file.
